I    LIBRARY 

Y  OF 


GREAT  THOUGHTS 


FKOM 


LATIN  AUTHORS. 


BY 


CKAUFURD  TAI?  EAMAGE,  LL.D. 

AUTHOR  OF  "GREAT  THOUGHTS  FROM  GREEK  AUTHORS,"  "GREAT 

THOUGHTS  FROM  FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  AUTHORS," 

"GREAT  THOUGHTS  FROM  GERMAN  AND 

SPANISH  AUTHORS,"  ETC. 


THIKD  EDITION,  CONSIDERABLY  ENLARGED. 


'  Classical  quotation  is  the  parole  of  literary  men  all  over 
the  world."— DR.  JOHNSON. 


NEW  YORK: 
JOHN  B.  ALDEN,  PUBLISHER. 


PEEFACE  TO  THIKD 
EDITION. 


LITTLE  need  be  added  to  what  was  stated  in 
former  editions  of  this  work.  The  illustrations 
from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  have  heen  in- 
creased, and  many  new  passages  have  been  given. 
Few  of  the  ways  that  conduct  to  virtue  are  more 
full  of  pleasantness  and  peace  than  that  which 
leads  us  to  warm  our  hearts  by  putting  them  in 
close  contact  with  noble  natures.  "I  am  not  the 
rose,  but  I  live  with  the  rose,"  says  the  Eastern 
apologue,  "and  so  I  have  become  sweet."  It  was 
a  strong  conviction  of  the  truth  of  this  apoph- 
thegm that  induced  the  Editor  to  spend  many  of 
the  leisure  hours  of  a  busy  life  in  bringing  together 
the  beautiful  thoughts  of  ancient  writers ;  and  he 
was  induced  to  present  them  to  the  public,  in  the 
hope  that  many,  who  have  little  time  to  devote  to 
the  study  of  the  Classics,  would  be  glad  to  renew 
their  acquaintance  with  the  finer  emanations  of 
the  Roman  masters. 

The  Editor  has  not  been  disappointed  in  his  ex- 
pectations, for  the  sale  of  the  work  has  continued 
to  increase,  and  proves  that  there  is  a  large  num- 
ber of  educated  minds  who  take  delight  in  the  wis- 
dom of  the  ancients.  Each  quotation  is  a  separate 
bait,  a  temptation  to  feel  greatly  and  to  do  greatly; 
and  a  friend,  whose  delicate  health  has  obliged 
him  to  retire  from  ilu-  busy  haunts  of  men,  very 


4  PEE  FACE  TO  THIRD  EDITION. 

beautifully  remarks  that  their  charm  for  the  old 
and  infirm  is  scarcely  less.  To  such  "  it  is  noth- 
ing short  of  delightful  to  have  a  book  at  hand 
which  will  suit  itself  either  to  the  exigencies  or 
the  deficiencies  of  the  minute,  with  an  elastic 
power  of  adaptability  which  no  living  friend  can 
possess."  It  was  for  those  of  lofty  aspirations 
among  the  young,  and  for  men  of  cultivated  minds 
among  the  old,  that  the  Editor  attempted  to  make 
a  selection  from  a  treasure  that  has  continued  to 
accumulate  from  the  earliest  times,  till  it  now 
comprehends  a  brief  abstract  of  the  wisdom  of  all 
ages. 


CHBONOLOGUCAL  INDEX  OF 
AUTHOKS. 


Plautus born  about  B.C.  254 died  about  B.C.  184 

Terence  born  B.C.  195 died  B.C.  159 

Varro  born  B.C.  116 died  B.C.    28 

Cicero born  B.C.  106 died  B.C.    43 

Caesar born  B.C.  100 died  B.C.    44 

Lucretius born  B.C.    95 died  B.C.    52 

Catullus born  B.C.    P7 died  B.C.    47 

Sallust born  B.C.    86 died  about  B.C.    34 

Virgil born  B.C.    70 died  B.C.    19 

Horace born  B.C.    65 died  B.C.      8 

Livy   born  B.C.    59 died  A. D.    17 

Tibullus born  about  B.C.    59 died  about  B.C.    18 

Propertius born  about  B.C.    51 died  about  B.C.    15 

Pubiius  Syrus 

nourished  about  B.C.  45 

Ovid born  B.C.    43 died  A. D.    18 

•Nepos flourished  B.C.  40 

Seneca born  about  A. D.      1 died  A.  D.    65 

Phsedrus flourished  A.D.  20 

Pliny  the  Elder born  A.D.    23 died  A.D.    79 

Suius  Italicus born  A.D.    25 died  A.D.  100 

Persius born  A.D.    34 died  A.D.    62 

Lucan    born  about  A.D.    39 died  A.D.    65 

Quintilian born  A.D.    40 died  about  A.D.  118 

Martial born  A.D.    43 died  A.D.  104 

Petronius  Arbiter 

flourished  A.D.  50 

Tacitus born  about  A.D.    59 died  about  A.D.  120 

Pliny  the  Younger 

flourished  A.D.  61 

Statius born  about  A.D.    61 died  about  A.D.    96 

Columella flourished  A.D.  70 

Juvenal flourished  A.D.  90 


INDEX  OF  AUTHORS. 

Curtiua flourished  A.D.  150 

Ausonius born  A.D.  815 died  A.D.    398 

Ammianus  Marcellinus 

flourished  A.D.  350 

Claudian flourished  A.D.  400 

Manilius  is  of  uncertain  date. 


IKDEX  OF  AUTHORS. 


AUTHORS. 

PAGES. 

Ammianus   Marcel- 

i  • 

7  11 

Ausonius  

12-15 

Caesar  

15-18 

Catullus  

IS--*-.' 

Cicero  

23-132 

Claudian  

132-137 

Columella  

138-139 

Curtius  

130  143 

Eunius  

143-146 

Horace  

146-247 

Juvenal  

248-373 

Lavy  

273-290 

Lucan  

290-300 

Lucretius  

300-318 

Manilius  

318-322 

Martial  

322-334 

Nepos  

334-336 

Ovid  

336-399 

AUTHORS.  PAGES. 

Persius 400-407 

Petronius  Arbiter  . . .  407-410 

Phsedrus 411-415 

Plautus 415-446 

Pliny  the  Elder 446-450 

Pliny  the  Younger . . .  450-4G7 

Propertius 467-473 

Publius  Syrus 473-484 

Quintilian 484-492 

Sallust 492^500 

Seneca 500-577 

Silius  Italicus 678-582 

Statius 582-586 

Tacitus 586-606 

Terence  606-623 

Tibullus 624-629 

Varro 629-631 

Virgil 631-670 

Supplement 671-679 


GREAT  THOUGHTS  FROM  LATIN 
AUTHORS. 


AMMIANUS  MAECELLINUS. 

FLOUKISHED  FKOM  ABOUT  A.D.  350  TO  A.D.  390. 

AMMIANUS  MAKCELLINTJS,  a  native  of  Antioch 
in  Syria,  was  the  last  subject  of  Koine  who  com- 
posed a  profane  history  in  the  Latin  language. 
Of  his  personal  history  little  is  known ;  he  was  an 
officer  in  the  army,  accompanying  Ursicinus,  an 
able  general  of  the  Emperor  Constantius,  to  the 
East  in  350.  We  next  find  him  accompanying 
Julian  in  his  expedition  against  the  Persians,  hav- 
ing a  narrow  escape  in  the  retreat  of  the  Romans. 
His  history  extended  from  the  accession  of  Nerva, 
A.I>.  96,  to  the  death  of  Valens,  A.D.  378,  compris- 
ing a  period  of  282  years.  It  was  divided  into 
thirty-one  books,  of  which  the  first  thirteen  are 
lost.  What  remains  includes  the  reign  of  Constan- 
tius from  A.D.  353,  and  those  of  Gallus,  Julianus, 
Jovianus,  Valentinianus,  and  Valens. 

FOLLY   OF   MEN. 

Some  imagining  that  they  can  best  commend 
themselves  to  the  Eternal  by  erecting  statues  to 
that  great  Being,  earnestly  devote  themselves  to 
these,  as  if  they  were  certain  to  obtain  more  re- 


8  AMMIANUS  MARCELLINUS. 

ward  from  senseless  idols  of  brass  than  from  the 
conscientious  performance  of  honorable  duties. 

TKUTII  IS   SIMPLE. 

The  language  of  truth  is  unadorned  and  always 
simple. 

We  find  the  three  great  tragic  writers  of  Greece  speak  of 
truth  in  the  same  way. 
Shakespeare  ("  Measure  for  Measure,"  act  v.  sc.  1)  says: — 

"  Truth  is  truth 
To  the  end  of  reckoning." 

Matthew  vi.  22  :— 

"If  thine  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of 

ught."  ff      ry  7 

MAX  PARALYZED  BY  FATE.*"   lil  . 

The  senses  of  men  are  usually  blunted  and  dead-  \ 
ened,  when  fate  lays  a  heavy  hand  upon  them. 

THE   51IXD   OF   MAX  IX   SLEEP. 

The  mind  freed  from  the  shackles  of  the  body, 
never  resting,  being  under  the  impressions  whieh 
cares  and  anxieties  have  made  upon  it,  brings  be- 
fore us  those  night  visions  which  we  call  fanta- 
sies. 

Longfellow  ("A  Psalm  of  Life")  expresses  himself  other- 
wise:— 

,     "  Tell  me  not,  in  mournful  numbers, 

'  Life  is  but  an  empty  Dream ! ' 
For  the  soul  is  dead  that  slumbers, 
And  things  are  not  what  they  seem." 

But  Byron  ("The  Dream,"  1.  5)  says:— 

"  Dreams  in  their  development  have  breath, 
And  tears  and  tortures  and  the  touch  of  joy; 
They  have  a  weight  upon  our  waking  thoughts, 
They  take  a  weight  from  off  our  waking  toils, 
They  do  divide  our  being." 


AMMIANUS  MAECELL1NUS.  9 

Shakespeare  ("  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  act  i.  sc.  4)  says: — 

"  I  talk  of  dreams; 

Which  are  the  children  of  an  idle  brain, 
Begot  of  nothing  but  vain  fantasy ; 
Which  is  as  thin  of  substance  as  the  air; 
And  more  inconstant  than  the  wind,  which  wooes 
Even  now  the  frozen  bosom  of  the  north. 
And,  being  anser'd,  puffs  away  from  thence. 
Turning  his  face  to  the  dew-dropping  south." 

RETRIBUTIVE   JUSTICE. 

Adrasteia,  whom  we  also  call  Nemesis,  very 
often  (I  wish  it  were  always  so!)  acts  as  the 
avenger  of  the  deeds  of  the  impious  and  the  re- 
warder  of  the  righteous — Leing  a  certain  sublime 
law  of  the  Almighty  placed  over  the  minds  of  men, 
or  as  others  define  it,  a  self-existing  guardian 
angel  watching  over  each  individual  with  uncon- 
trolled power;  which  theologians  of  old,  falsely 
assuming  to  he  the  daughter  of  Justice,  maintain 
to  look  down  on  all  things  earthly  from  the  abys- 
ses of  eternity.  She,  as  the  directress  of  original 
causes,  the  arbitress  and  judge  of  events,  rules 
over  the  urn  containing  the  fates  of  men,  turning 
cut  at  will  the  lots  of  life;  and  ending  very  differ- 
ently at  times  from  what  she  seemed  to  have  in- 
tended, turns  round  our  fates  with  endless  changes. 
And  binding  with  the  indissoluble  chain  of  neces- 
sity the  pride  of  man,  vainly  puffed  up,  and  caus- 
ing the  ups  and  downs  of  life,  as  she  best  knows 
to  turn  them;  now  she  throws  him  down  from  his 
lofty  seat,  and  again  lifting  the  upright  from  the 
lowest  bottom  raises  him  to  the  pinnacle  of  fort- 
une. 

EXCEPTIONS   TO   EVERY   RULE. 

But  in  the  midst  of  thorns  roses  spring  up,  and 
amidst  savage  beasts  some  are  tame. 


10  AMMIANUS  MARC  ELLIN  US. 

So  Psalm  xxx.  5:— 

"  Weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the 
morning." 

ALMOST   ALL   DIFFICULTIES   MAY  BE   OVERCOME 
BY   PRUDENCE. 

Almost  all  difficulties  may  be  got  the  better  of 
by  prudent  thought,  revolving  and  pondering 
much  in  the  mind. 

MAN   ABLE   TO   FORESEE    GOOD   AND  BAD. 

It  is  not  wonderful  that  men  sometimes  are  able 
to  discern  what  is  profitable  and  what  is  hurtful 
to  them,  since  we  regard  their  minds  to  Le  related 
to  the  heavenly  beings. 

THE   GENIUS   WATCHING   OVER   EACH. 

His  particular  Genius,  who  was  placed  to  watch 
over  his  life,  was  thought  to  have  abandoned  him, 
as  he  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  the  world.  For 
theologians  say,  that  to  all  men,  when  they  are 
born,  certain  divine  beings  are  attached  to  direct 
their  actions,  though  visible  to  very  few,  only  to 
those  who  are  distinguished  by  many  virtuous 
qualities. 

THE   WILL   OF   HEAVEN. 

No  power  or  virtue  of  man  could  ever  have  de- 
served that,  what  has  been  fated,  should  not  have 
taken  place. 

Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VI.,"  Part  III.,  act  iv.  sc.  3)  says:— 
"  What  fates  impose,  that  men  must  needs  abide; 
It  boots  not  to  resist  both  wind  and  tide." 

So  Psalm  cxxxv.  5:— 

"  For  I  know  that  the  Lord  is  great,  and  that  our  Lord  is 
above  all  gods.  Whatsoever  the  Lord  pleased,  that  did  he  in 
heaven,  and  in  earth,  in  the  seas,  and  all  deep  places." 


AMMIANUS  MARCELLINUS.  11 

MAN   PROPOSES,    GOD  DISPOSES. 

Yet  the  success  of  plans  and  the  advantage  to  be 
derived  from  them  do  not  at  all  times  agree,  seeing 
the  Gods  claim  to  themselves  the  right  to  decide 
as  to  the  final  result. 

So  Proverbs  xvi.  9  :— 

".A  man's  heart  devisetli  his  way:  but  the  Lord  directeth 
his  steps." 

TKUTH  SOMETIMES   DAJVGEEOUS. 

Truth  is  often  attended  with  danger. 

There  is  a  French  proverb  of  the  thirteenth  century,  which 
expresses  this  idea:— 

"  Every  truth  is  not  good  to  be  said." 

So  Mark  vi.  18  :— 

"  For  John  had  said  unto  Herod,  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to 
have  thy  brother's  wife.  Therefore  Herodias  had  a  quarrel 
against  him,  and  would  have  killed  him;  but  she  could  not." 

VICISSITUDES   OF  LIFE. 

Any  one  that  is  prosperous  may  before  evening 
by  the  turn  of  fortune's  wheel  become  most 
Wretched. 

THE   SAME  CHAEACTEE  PEOUD  AND  HUMBLE. 

So  that  he  seemed,  when  he  felt  confidence  in 
himself,  to  be  like  a  tragic  actor  declaiming  from 
the  high-heeled  buskin;  and  when  he  was  cast 
down,  to  be  more  humble  than  any  low  comedian 
in  Lis  sock. 

BUSINESS  FOB  IDLE  HANDS. 

Wicked  acts  are  accustomed  to  be  done  with  im- 
punity for  the  mere  desire  of  occupation. 


12  A  USONIUS. 

AUSONIUS. 

BORN  ABOUT  A.D.  315 — DIED  ABOUT  A.D.  392. 

DECIMUS  MAGNUS  AUSONIUS,  a  Latin  poet  and 
grammarian,  was  a  native  of  Bordeaux,  born  about 
the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century  of  the  Christian 
era.  He  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  law,  and 
became  tutor  to  Gratian,  son  of  the  Emperor 
Valentinian,  by  whom  he  was  appointed  praefec- 
tus  of  Latium,  of  Libya,  and  of  Gaul,  and  at  last, 
in  the  year  379,  was  made  consul.  The  letter  of 
Gratian  conferring  the  dignity,  and  the  grateful 
reply  of  Ausonitts  are  both  extant.  After  the  death 
of  Gratian  he  retired  from  public  life,  and  ended 
his  days  in  a  country  retreat  at  no  great  distance 
from  his  native  city  about  A.D.  392,  in  the  reign  of 
Honoring.  There  can  be  no  doubt  from  several 
passages  in  his  works  that  he  was  a  Christian, 
though  the  licentious  nature  of  some  of  his  writ- 
ings proves  that  he  did  not  at  all  times  attend  to 
its  pure  doctrines.  He  was  the  author  of  many 
works,  which  have  been  preserved,  but  the  most 
celebrated  are  his  twenty  Eclogues,  of  which  the 
tenth,  entitled  Mosella,  is  a  description  of  the 
river  Moselle,  one  of  the  best  specimens  of  his 
powers-  as  a  poet,  though  the  same  faults  pervade 
it  as  his  other  works — want  of  simplicity,  taste, 
easiness  of  versification,  and  purity  of  language. 

ADVICE   TO   THE   UPSTART. 

Whoever  thou  art  that  hast  become  rich  from 
great  poverty,  use  thy  good  fortune  with  modera- 
tion. 


AUSONIUS.  13 

EVERYTHING   HUMAN   PERISHES. 

Can  we  wonder  that  men  perish  and  are  forgot- 
ten when  their  noblest  and  most  enduring  works 
decay  ?  Death  comes  even  to  monumental  struct- 
ures, and  oblivion  rests  on  the  most  illustrious 
names. 

A  MAN  OF  LETTERS. 

Because  thy  library  is  full  of  books,  which  thou 
hast  bought,  dost  thou  think  thyself  a  man  of  let- 
ters ?  In  the  same  way,  lay  up  strings,  plectra, 
and  lyres ;  having  bought  all  these,  to-morrow  thou 
wilt  be  a  musician. 

WELL  BEGUN,  HALF  DONE. 

Begin;  to  have  begun  is  half  of  the  work.  Let 
the  half  still  remain;  again  begin  this  and  thou 
wilt  have  done  all. 

A  FAVOR  SLOWLY  BESTOWED. 

A  favor  which  is  tardily  bestowed  is  no  favor; 
for  a  favor  which  has  been  quickly  granted  is  a 
more  agreeable  favor. 

WHATEVER  THOU   DOEST,    DO   IT   QUICKLY. 

If  thou  intendest  to  do  a  kind  act  do  it  quickly, 
and  then  thou  mayest  expect  gratitude:  a  favor 
grudgingly  conferred  causes  ingratitude. 

THE   UNGRATEFUL. 

The  earth  produces  nothing  worse  than  an  un- 
grateful man. 

Shakespeare  ("  As  You  Like  It,"  act  ii.  sc.  7)  says  :— 
"  Blow,  blow,  thou  winter  wind, 
Thou  art  not  so  unkind 
As  man's  ingratitude; 


14  A  USONIUS. 

Thy  tooth  is  not  so  keen, 
Because  thou  art  not  seen, 
Although  thy  breath  be  rude. 

"  Freeze,  freeze,  thou  bitter  sky, 
That  dost  not  bite  so  nigh, 

As  benefits  forgot : 
Though  thou  the  waters  warp, 
Thy  sting  is  not  so  sharp 

As  friend  remember'd  not." 

And  ("  Twelfth  Night,"  act  iii.  sc.  1)  :— 
"  I  hate  ingrafitude  more  in  a  man 
Than  lying,  vainness,  babbling,  drunkenness, 
Or  any  taint  of  vice." 

FICKLENESS  OF  FORTUNE. 

Fortune  is  never  stable,  is  always  turning,  al- 
ways changing;  throws  down  the  prosperous  and 
raises  the  humble. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Ino.  23)  says:— 

"  Thou  seest  what  small  things  are  sufficient  to  bring  down 
tyrants  who  have  had  a  long  course  of  prosperity  ;  even  one 
day  pulls  this  man  from  his  lofty  seat  and  raises  another. 
Riches  have  wings  :  for  I  see  those  who  once  had  them  fall- 
ing from  their  high  hopes." 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  1093,  M.)  says  :— 

"  As  Fortune  sometimes,  while  she  is  conferring  on  us  one 
good,  in  doing  so  pumps  up  three  evils." 

HOW  ENEMIES  ABE  INCREASED. 

When  thou  causeth  fear  to  many,  then  is  the 
time  to  be  on  thy  guard. 

PRESERVE  EQUANIMITY. 

If  fortune  is  favorable,  be  not  elated;  if  fort- 
une thunders,  be  not  cast  down. 

FEAR  CONSCIENCE. 

When  about  to  commit  a  base  deed,  respect  thy- 
self if  thou  hast  no  other  witness. 


CAESAR.  15 

Diphilus,  who  flourished  B.C.  300  (Fr.Com.  Gr.,  p.  1091,  M.), 
says  much  to  the  same  effect : — 

"For  whoever  does  not  feel  ashamed  before  his  own  con- 
science, when  he  has  committed  a  base  deed,  why  will  he 
feel  ashamed  before  another  who  is  unconscious  of  it  ? " 

LARGE  DOWRY  CAUSE  OF  MISCHIEF. 

When  the  dowry  is  too  large,  it  is  often  the 
cause  of  much  mischief. 

BEGUN  HALF  DONE. 

Set  about  whatever  thou  intendest  to  do:  the 
beginning  is  half  the  battle. 

BETTEB  NOT  TO  BE  BORN. 

Therefore  the  sentiment  of  the  Greeks  is  best, 
for  they  say  that  it  is  best  for  man  not  to  be  born, 
or  being  born,  quickly  to  die. 

THE  SUSPECTED. 

The  suspected  and  the  man  really  guilty  seem  to 
differ  only  slightly. 


C^SAR. 

BORN  B.C.  100— DIED  B.C.  44. 

C.  JULIUS  CAESAR,  the  dictator,  the  son  of  C. 
Julius  Caesar  and  Aurelia,  was  born  on  the  12th  July 
B.C.  100,  and  murdered  on  the  15th  March  B.C.  44. 
He  attached  himself  to  the  popular  party,  and  mar- 
ried, B.C.  83,  Cornelia,  the  daughter  of  L.  China, 
one  of  the  chief  opponents  of  Sulla  ;  being  in  con- 
sequence proscribed  and  obliged  to  conceal  him- 
self for  some  time  in  the  country  of  the  Sabincs. 


16  C^ESAB. 

He  served  for  several  years  in  the  wars  of  Asia, 
but  returned  to  Rome  B.C.  78,  on  hearing  of  the 
death  of  Sulla.  He  became  quaestor  B.C.  68,  prae- 
tor B.C.  62,  reaching  the  consulship  B.C.  59,  when 
he  joined  Pompey  and  Crassus  in  an  agreement 
to  support  one  another  and  divide  the  power 
between  themselves.  This  was  what  was  called 
the  first  triumvirate;  and  to  make  his  union  with 
Pompey  still  more  intimate,  he  gave  him  his 
daughter  Julia  in  marriage.  He  married  at  the 
same  time  Calpurnia,  the  daughter  of  L.  Piso, 
who  was  consul  the  following  year.  Obtaining 
the  province  of  Gaul,  he  was  occupied  for  nine 
years  in  its  subjugation,  conquering  the  whole  of 
Transalpine  Gaul,  which  had  hitherto  been  inde- 
pendent of  the  Romans,  with  the  exception  of  the 
part  called  Provincial  he  twice  crossed  the  Rhine, 
and  carried  the  terror  of  the  Roman  arms  across 
that  river,  and  he  twice  landed  in  Britain,  which 
had  hitherto  been  unknown  to  the  Romans. 
While  Caesar  had  been  thus  actively  engaged  in 
Gaul,  affairs  in  Rome  had  taken  a  turn  which 
threatened  a  speedy  rupture  between  him  and 
Pompey.  The  ten  years  of  Caesar's  government 
would  expire  at  the  end  of  B.C.  49,  and  he  was 
therefore  resolved  to  obtain  the  consulship  for 
B.C.  48,  as  he  would  otherwise  be  reduced  to  a  pri- 
vate station.  Pompey  joined  the  aristocratical 
party,  and  prepared  to  resist  the  proceedings  of 
his  opponent  ;  but  Caesar  crossed  the  Rubicon, 
which  separated  his  province  from  Italy,  and  in 
three  months  subdued  the  whole  of  Italy.  Having 
defeated  his  rival  Pompey  in  the  plains  of  Phar- 
salia  B.C.  48,  he  became  undisputed  master  of  the 
Roman  empire.  He  caused  himself  to  be  pro- 
claimed perpetual  dictator,  and  had  actually  con- 
sented to  accept  the  imperial  throne,  when  he  was 


CAESAR.  17 

murdered  by  the  republican  party,  who  hoped  by 
his  death  to  restore  the  old  constitution.  He  fell 
in  the  Senate  House  on  the  15th  March  B.C.  44. 

PUNISHMENT   OF  WICKEDNESS. 

The  gods  sometimes  grant  greater  prosperity 
and  a  longer  period  of  impunity  to  those  whom 
they  wish  to  punish  for  their  crimes,  in  order  that 
they  may  feel  more  acutely  a  change  of  circum- 
stances. 

EIGHTS  OF  WAR. 

It  is  the  right  of  war  for  conquerors  to  treat 
those  whom  they  have  conquered  according  to 
their  pleasure. 

WINE. 

They  allowed  no  wine  or  other  luxuries  to  be 
imported,  because  they  believed  they  had  a  ten- 
dency to  enervate  the  mind  and  make  men  less 
brave  in  battle. 

GAULS. 

The  Gauls  are  hasty  and  precipitate  in  their  res- 
olutions. 

GAULS. 

Almost  all  the  Gauls  are  fond  of  change,  and 
easily  excited  to  war,  while  they  are  at  the  same 
time  attached  to  liberty  and  hate  slavery. 


Men  willingly  believe  what  they  wish. 

IMITATIVE   CHARACTER   OF   THE   GAULS. 

They  are  a  race  of  consummate  ingenuity,  and 
possess  wonderful    powers  to  imitate  whatever 
they  sec  done  by  others. 
2 


!«  CATULLUS. 

FEAK. 

In  extreme  danger,  fear  turns  a  deaf  ear  to 
every  feeling  of  pity. 

TO  THROW  BLAME  OX  THE  DEAD. 

That  be  knew,  and  was  well  aware,  that  nothing 
was  easier  than  to  ascribe  the  blame  of  an  act  to 
the  dead. 

The  French  have  a  proverb,  "  Les  mort  font  toujours  tort." 
TRIVIAL,    CAUSES   IN  WAR. 

In  war  important  events  are  produced  by  trivial 
causes. 


CATULLUS. 

BORN  B.C.    87 — DIED   ABOUT   B.C.    47. 

CAIUS  VALERIUS  CATULLUS,  a  celebrated  Latin 
poet,  was  born  at  Sirmio,  in  the  vicinity  of  Ve- 
rona, B.C.  87,  one  year  before  the  historian  Sal- 
lust.  His  father  was  the  friend  of  Julius  Csesar, 
and  Catullus  himself  was  on  intimate  terms  of 
friendship  with  all  the  most  illustrious  men  of 
his  age.  His  time  was  spent  principally  at  Rome 
or  in  his  villa  near  Tibur.  It  is  not  known  when 
he  died,  but  it  must  have  been  subsequently  to 
B.C.  47,  as  he  mentions  the  consulship  of  Vatinius. 
He  was  the  author  of  116  poems,  which  we  still 
possess.  They  are  partly  epigrammatic,  partly 
elegiac,  with  a  few  lyrical  pieces.  Catullus  was 
deeply  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  Greek  poetry, 
and  had  formed  his  taste  on  that  model. 


CATULLUS.  19 

THE   GRAVE. 

He  is  now  travelling  along  that  darksome  path 
to  the  bourne  from  which,  they  say,  no  one  ever 
returns. 

THE   WHISPERING   OF  THE. TREES. 

For  on  the  ridge  of  Cytorus  it  often  gave  forth  a 
hissing,  while  the  leaves  spoke. 

Tennyson  (''  The  Princess  ")  thus  expresses  the  same  idea:— 
"  As  in  a  poplar  grove  when  a  light  wind  wakes 
A  lisping  of  the  innumerous  leaf,  and  dies, 
Each  hissing  in  his  neighbor's  ear." 

ONE   ETERNAL  NIGHT   TO  ALL,. 

Suns  may  set  and  rise;  we,  when  our  short  day 
has  closed,  must  sleep  on  during  one  never-ending 
night. 

Young,  in  his  "Night  Thoughts"  (No.  6),  says  in  a  very 
different  tone:— 

"  Look  nature  through,  'tis  revolution  all; 
All  change,  no  death;  day  follows  night,  and  night 
The  dying  day ;  stars  rise,  and  set  and  rise. 
Earth  takes  the  example.    See  the  Summer,  gay 
With  her  green  chaplets  and  ambrosial  flowers, 
Droops  into  pallid  Autumn:  Winter  gray, 
Horrid  with  frost  and  turbulent  with  storm, 
Blows  Autumn  and  his  golden  fruits  away, 
Then  melts  into  the  Spring:  soft  Spring,  with  breath 
Favonian,  from  warm  chambers  of  the  South 
Recalls  the  first.    All,  to  reflourish,  fades ; 
As  in  a  wheel  all  sinks,  to  reascend; 
Emblems  of  man,  who  passes,  not  expires." 

See  Sir  Walter  Scott's  lament  over  Pitt  and  Fox  in  the  in- 
troduction to  "  Marmion,"  beginning— 
"  To  mute  and  to  material  things 
New  life  revolving  summer  brings,"  etc. 

GROSS   PLEASURES. 

Gross  and  vulgar  pleasures. 


20  CATULLUS. 

A  STUPID    BOOBY. 

That  stupid  booby  of  mine  is  so  crazy  that  he 
neither  sees  nor  hears,  and.  even  knows  not  who 
he  is,  or  whether  he  exists  at  all. 

"  So  benumbed  in  his  wits  is  my  booby,  that  he 
Is  as  deaf  and  as  blind  as  a  buzzard  can  be; 
Yea,  he  knows  not,  the  oaf,  who  himself  is  or  what, 
Or  whether  in  fact,  he  exists  or  does  not."— MAKTIN. 

THE  MOTE   IN  OUR  OWN  EYE. 

Every  one   has  his  faults,  but  we  see  not  the 
wallet  that  is  behind. 
Burns  says :  — 

"  O  wad  some  power  the  giftie  gie  us 

To  see  oursels  as  ithers  see  us." 
So  Psalm  six.  18:  — 

"  Who  can  understand  his  errors  f  cleanse  thou  me  from 
secret  faults." 

THE  PLEASURE  OF  REST  AFTER  LABOR. 

Oh,  what  is  more  sweet  than,  when  the  mind, 
set  free  from  care,  lays  its  burden  down;  and, 
when  spent  with  distant  travel,  we  come  back  to 
our  home,  and  rest  our  limbs  on  the  wished-for 
bed  ?  This,  this  alone,  repays  such  toils  as  these ! 

SILLY   LAUGHTER. 

A  silly  laugh's  the  silliest  thing  I  know. 

SWEET  MEETINGS,   FAREWELL. 

O  sweet  meetings  of  friends,  farewell. 

Tennyson  ("The  Princess,"  cant,  iv.)  expresses  the  same 
idea  very  beautifully : — 

"  Tears,  idle  tears,  I  know  not  what  they  mean, 
Tears  from  the  depth  of  some  divine  despair 
Rise  in  the  heart,  and  gather  in  the  eyes, 
lu  looking  on  the  happy  Autumn  fields, 
And  thinking  of  the  days  that  are  no  more." 


CATULLUS.  21 

THE    LOVE-SICK. 

Peer  for  the  gods  he  seems  to  me 
And  mightier,  if  that  may  be, 
Who,  sitting  face  to  face  with  thee, 

Can  there  serenely  gaze ; 
Can  hear  thee  sweetly  speak  the  while, 
Can  see  thee,  Lesbia,  sweetly  smile, 
Joys  that  from  me  my  senses  wile, 

And  leave  me  in  a  maze. 
For,  ever,  when  thy  face  I  view, 
My  voice  is  to  its  task  untrue, 
My  tongue  is  paralyzed,  and  through 

Each  limb  a  subtle  flame 
Runs  swiftly,  murmurs  dim  arise 
Within  my  ears,  across  my  eyes 
A  sudden  darkness  spreads,  and  sighs 

And  tremors  shake  my  frame. 

MABTUT. 

PALSIED  OLD  AGE. 

Till  hoary  age  shall  steal  on  thee, 
With  loitering  step  and  trembling  knee, 
And  palsied  head,  that  ever  bent, 
To  all  in  all  things  nods  assent. — MARTIN. 

THERE   IS   A  TIDE   IN   THE   AFFAIRS   OF   MEN. 

What  is  granted  by  the  gods  more  desirable 
than  a  lucky  moment  ? 

THE    VIRGIN. 

As  the  flower  grows  apart  in  the  secluded  gar- 
dens unknown  to  the  cattle,  bruised  by  no  plough, 
fondled  by  the  breezes,  strengthened  by  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  and  nourished  by  the  rains  of  heaven; 
many  a  boy  and  girl  have  desired  to  pluck  it;  when 
the  same  flower,  plucked  by  some  tiny  hand,  lias 
lost  its  beauty,  110  boys  or  girls  have  desired  it:  so 


22  CATULLUS. 

is  the  virgin,  while  she  remains  so,  while  she  is 
beloved  by  her  friends,  but  when  she  has  lost  her 
chaste  flower,  she  is  neither  pleasing  to  the  youth 
nor  beloved  by  the  girls. 

THE  RISING  BREEZE. 

As  when  at  early  dawn  the  western  breeze 
Into  a  ripple  breaks  the  slumbering  seas, 
Which  gently  stirr'd,  move  slowly  on  at  first, 
And  into  gurglings  low  of  laughter  burst; 
Anon,  as  fresher  blows  the  rising  blast, 
The  waves  crowd  onward  faster  and  more  fast, 
Floating  away  till  they  are  lost  to  sight 
Beneath  the  glow  of  the  empurpled  light, 
So  from  the  royal  halls,  and  far  from  view, 
Each  to  his  home  with  wand'ring  steps  withdrew. 

MARTIN. 

CONFOUNDING  OF  EIGHT  AND  WRONG. 

The  confounding  of  all  right  and  wrong  in  the 
wild  fury  of  war  has  averted  from  us  the  gracious 
smile  of  heaven. 

FICKLENESS   OF  WOMAN. 

The  vows  that  woman  makes  to  her  fond  lover 
are  only  fit  to  be  written  on  air  or  on  the  swiftly- 
passing  stream. 

DIFFICULT  TO  RELINQUISH  A  CONFIRMED   PASSION. 

It  is  difficult  to  give  up  at  once  a  long-cherished 
passion. 

THE  INCONSISTENCIES   OF   LOVE. 

I  hate  and  I  love.  Why  I  do  so,  thou  mayest 
perhaps  inquire:  I  know  not;  but  I  feel  that  it  is 
so,  and  I  am  tormented. 


CICERO.  23 

CICERO. 

BOKN  B.C.  106 — DIED  B.C.  43. 

M.  TULLIUS  CICERO,  born  on  the  3d  January  B.C. 
106,  was  a  native  of  the  city  of  Arpinum,  but  re- 
ceived his  education  at  Rome  under  Greek  masters, 
more  particularly  under  the  renowned  Archias  of 
Antioch.  Dui'ing  the  scenes  of  strife  and  blood- 
shed between  Marius  and  Sulla,  he  identified  him- 
self with  neither  party,  devoting  his  time  to  those 
studies  which  were  essential  to  him  as  a  lawyer 
and  an  orator.  When  tranquillity  was  restored,  he 
came  forward  as  a  pleader  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five,  but  thinking  that  there  was  great  room  for 
improvement  in  his  style  of  composition  and  mode 
of  delivery,  he  determined  to  quit  Italy  and  visit 
the  great  fountains  of  arts  and  eloquence.  He  re- 
mained six  months  at  Athens,  and  then  made  a 
complete  tour  of  Asia  Minor,  returning  to  Rome 
after  an  absence  of  two  years,  B.C.  77.  His  great 
talents,  developed  by  such  careful  and  judicious 
training  under  the  most  cultivated  masters,  could 
not  fail  to  command  success.  Though  possessed 
of  no  family  influence,  he  was  elected  qua3stor  B.C. 
76,  and,  having  Sicily  as  his  province,  he  dis- 
charged his  trust  so  faithfully  that  he  gained  the 
love  and  esteem  of  all  the  Sicilians.  He  undertook 
some  years  afterwards  the  prosecution  of  Verres, 
who  had  been  praetor  of  Sicily,  and  was  charged 
with  many  flagrant  acts  of  extortion.  This  prose- 
cution was  successful,  and  Verres,  despairing  of 
being  able  to  defend  himself,  went  into  voluntary 
exile.  He  was  appointed  consul  B.C.  63,  and  gained 
great  glory  by  suppressing  the  conspiracy  formed 
by  Catiline  and  his  accomplices  for  the  subversion 
of  the  commonwealth.  For  this  great  service 


24  CICERO. 

he  was  honored  with  the  title  of  Pater  Patriaj, 
father  of  his  country.  His  good  fortune,  however, 
at  last  failed  him,  and  he  was  compelled  to  yield 
to  the  storm  that  broke  upon  him.  He  quitted 
Home  B.C.  58,  and  crossed  over  to  Greece.  His 
correspondence  during  the  whole  period  of  his 
exile  presents  the  melancholy  picture  of  a  man 
crushed  and  paralyzed  by  a  sudden  reverse  of  fort- 
une. The  following  year  he  was  recalled,  and  we 
then  find  him  employing  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  in  pleading  causes  or  living  in  the  country, 
where  he  composed  his  two  great  political  works, 
the  De  EeptblicA  and  the  Ds  Legibus.  He 
was  appointed  pro-consul  of  Cilicia,  and  his  ad- 
ministration of  that  province  gained  him  great 
honor.  At  the  close  of  the  year  he  returned  to 
Rome,  where  he  fell,  as  he  says,  into  the  veiy 
flame  of  civil  discord,  and  found  war  had  broken 
out  between  Pompey  and  Cajsar.  After  much 
vacillation  he  joined  Pompey,  but  after  the  battle 
of  Pharsalia  B.C.  48,  he  threw  himself  on  the  mercy 
of  the  coiiqueror,  by  whom  he  was  forgiven. 
Cicero  was  now  at  liberty  to  follow  his  own  pur- 
suits without  interruption,  and  accordingly,  until 
the  death  of  Csesar  B.C.  44,  devoted  himself  with 
assiduity  to  literary  studies.  During  those  years 
he  composed  nearly  the  whole  of  his  most  impor- 
tant works  on  rhetoric  and  philosophy.  However, 
he  paid  constant  attention  to  public  affairs.  From 
the  beginning  of  the  year  B.C.  4.3  to  the  end  of 
April,  Cicero  was  at  the  height  of  his  glory;  with- 
in this  space  the  last  twelve  Philippics  were  all 
delivered,  and  listened  to  "with  rapturous  applause. 
Octavius,  however,  joined  with  Lepidus  and  An- 
tony, usurping  the  whole  power  of  the  state,  and 
their  first  step  was  to  make  out  a  list  of  the  pro- 
scribed, among  whom  Cicero  was  marked  for  im- 


CICEEO.  25 

mediate  destruction.  He  made  an  attempt  to 
escape,  but  thinking  it  vain,  submitted  to  his  fate. 
The  assassins  cut  off  his  head  and  hands,  which 
were  conveyed  to  Rome,  and  by  the  orders  of 
Antony  nailed  to  the  rostra. 

ARTS. 

All  the  arts,  which  have  a  tendency  to  raise  man 
in  the  scale  of  being,  have  a  certain  common  bond 
of  union,  and  are  connected,  if  I  may  be  allowed 
to  say  so,  by  blood  relationship  with  one  another. 

LITERATURE. 

Do  you  imagine  that  I  could  find  materials  for 
my  daily  speeches  on  such  a  vai'iety  of  subjects, 
if  I  did  not  improve  my  mind  by  literary  pursuits; 
or  that  I  could  bear  up  against  such  a  strain,  if  I 
did  not  relieve  it  occasionally  by  philosophical  in- 
quiries ? 

GLORY  AND  HONOR  ONLY  DESIRABLE. 

For,  if  I  had  not  been  thoroughly  convinced 
from  my  youth  upwards  by  the  precepts  of  many 
philosophers,  and  by  my  own  literary  investiga- 
tions, that  there  is  nothing  in  this  life  really 
worthy  of  being  desired  except  glory  and  honor, 
and  that,  in  the  pursuit  of  these,  even  bodily  tort- 
ure, death,  and  banishment  are  of  little  account, 
never  would  L  have  rushed  in  your  defence  to  so 
many,  and  such  severe  struggles,  nor  exposed  my- 
self to  the  daily  attacks  of  these  abandoned  citi- 
zens. 

NATURAL   ABILITIES    AND   EDUCATION    CON- 
TRASTED. 

I  add  this  also,  that  nature  without  education 
nas  oftener  raised  man  to  glory  and  virtue,  than 
education  without  natural  abilities. 


26  CICEBO. 

We  find  the  very  opposite  statement  made  by  Critias  in  his 
elegies  (Fr.  6  Sc.):— 

"  There  are  more  men  ennobled  by  study  than  by  nature." 
And  Epicharmus  (Stob.  TTETE-,  54)  has  the  same  idea: — 
"  Friends,  study  gives  more  than  a  noble  nature." 

LITERATURE. 

For  the  other  employments  of  life  do  not  suit 
all  time,  ages,  or  places;  whereas  literary  studies 
employ  the  thoughts  of  the  young,  are  the  delight 
of  the  aged,  the  ornament  of  prosperity,  the  com- 
fort and  refuge  of  adversity,  our  amusement  at 
home,  no  impediment  to  us  abroad,  employ  our 
thoughts  on  our  beds,  attend  us  on  our  journeys, 
and  do  not  leave  us  in  the  country. 

Jeremy  Taylor  thus  speaks  of  literature : — 

"  Books  are  a  guide  in  youth  and  an  entertainment  for 
age.  They  help  us  to  forget  the  crossness  of  men  and  things, 
compose  our  cares,  and  lay  our  disappointments  asleep. 
When  we  are  weary  of  the  living,  we  may  repair  to  the  dead, 
who  have  nothing  of  peevishness,  pride,  or  design  in  their 
conversation." 

And  Addison  says:— 

"  Books  are  the  legacies  that  genius  leaves  to  mankind,  to 
be  delivered  down  from  generation  to  generation,  as  presents 
to  the  posterity  of  those  who  are  yet  unborn." 

And  Milton  says: — 

"Books  are  not  absolutely  dead  things,  but  doe  contain  a 
potencie  of  life  in  them  to  be  as  active  as  that  Soule  was 
whose  progeny  tfcey  are." 

A   POET. 

I  have  always  learned  from  the  noblest  and 
wisest  of  men,  that  a  knowledge  of  other  things 
is  acquired  by  learning,  rules,  and  art,  but  that  a 
poet  derives  his  power  from  nature  herself, — that 
the  qualities  of  his  mind  are  given  to  him,  if  I 
may  say  so,  by  divine  inspiration.  Wherefore 
rightly  does  Ennuis  regard  poets  as  under  the 


CICERO.  27 

special  protection  of  heaven,  because  they  seem 
to  be  delivered  over  to  us  as  a  beneficent  gift  by 
the  gods.  Let  then,  judges,  this  .name  of  poet, 
which  even  the  very  savages  respect,  be  sacred  in 
your  eyes,  men  as  you  are  of  the  most  cultivated 
mind.  Rocks  and  deserts  re-echo  to  their  voice; 
even  the  wildest  animals  turn  and  listen  to  the 
music  of  their  words;  and  shall  we,  who  have 
been  brought  up  to  the  noblest  pursuits,  not  yield 
to  the  voice  of  poets  ? 

So  Psalin  xcii.  4: — 

"  For  thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me  glad  through  thy  work." 

ACHILLES. 

How  many  historians  is  Alexander  the  Great 
said  to  have  had  with  him  to  transmit  his  name  to 
posterity  ?  And  yet,  as  he  stood  on  the  promon- 
tory of  Sigeum  by  the  tomb  of  Achilles,  he  ex- 
claimed: "O  happy  youth,  who  found  a  Homer 
to  herald  thy  praise!"  And  with  reason  did  he 
say  so;  for  if  the  Iliad  had  never  existed,  the 
same  tomb  which  covered  his  body  would  have 
also  buried  his  name. 

PRAISE. 

We  are  all  excited  by  the  love  of  praise,  and  it 
is  the  noblest  spirits  that  feel  it  most. 

VIRTUE. 

For  virtue  wants  no  other  reward  for  all  the 
labors  and  dangers  she  undergoes,  except  what 
she  derives  from  praise  and  glory;  if  this  be  de- 
nied to  her,  O  judges,  what  reason  is  there  why 
we  should  devote  ourselves  to  such  laborious  pur- 
suits, when  our  life  is  so  brief,  and  its  course 
narrowed  to  so  small  a  compass  ?  Assuredly,  if 
our  minds  were  not  allowed  to  look  forward  to  the 


28  CICERO. 

future,  and  if  all  our  thoughts  were  to  be  termi- 
nated with  our  life,  there  would  be  no  reason  why 
we  should  weary  ourselves  out  with  labors,  sub- 
mit to  all  the  annoyances  of  cares  and  anxiety, 
and  fight  so  often  even  for  our  veiy  lives.  In  the 
noblest  there  resides  a  certain  virtuous  princi- 
ple, which  day  and  night  stimulates  a  man  to, 
glorious  deeds,  and  warns  him  that  the  recollec- 
tion of  our  names  is  not  to  be  terminated  by  time, 
but  must  be  made  boundless  as  eternity. 


Everything  in  which  I  have  been  engaged  in  this 
world,  as  the  wisest  of  men  think,  will  be  regard- 
ed in  after  ages  as  belonging  to  my  soul;  at  pres- 
ent, at  all  events,  I  delight  myself  with  such 
thoughts  and  hopes. 

So  Romans  viii.  24:— 

"For  we  are  saved  by  hope:  but  hope  that  is  seen  is  not 
hope:  for  what  a  man  seeth,  why  doth  he  yet  hope  for  ?  " 

THE   VOICE   OF   GOD. 

This  ought  almost  to  be  regarded  as  the  voice 
and  words  of  the  immortal  gods,  when  the  globe  it- 
self, the  air  and  the  earth,  shake  with  an  unusual 
agitation  and  prophesy  to  us  in  accents  that  we 
have  never  before  heard  and  which  seem  incredi- 
ble. 

So  Acts  xii.  22:— 

"  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god,  and  not  of  a  man." 

HOW  THE  WICKED  ARE  PUNISHED. 

The  darts  of  the  gods  are  fixed  in  the  minds  of 
the  wicked. 

So  Colossians  iii.  6: — 

"  For  which  things'  sake  the  wrath  of  God  cometh  on  the 
children  of  disobedience." 


CICERO.  20 

PUT  AWAY  ANGER. 

Our  anger  and  quarrels  must  be  put  away. 

So  Genesis  xiii.  8:— 

"  Let  there  be  no  strife  between  thee  and  me." 

FALSE  ACCUSATIONS  AGAINST  THE  GOOD  ABE 

WITHOUT  EFFECT.  4 

As  fire,  when  it  is  thrown  into  water,  is  cooled 
down  and  put  out,  so  also  a  false  accusation,  when 
brought  against  a  man  of  the  purest  and  holiest 
character,  falls  away  at  once  and  vanishes. 

So  Titus  i.  15:— 

"  Unto  the  pure  all  things  are  pure." 

THE   POPULACE. 

The  common  rabble  estimate  few  things  accord- 
ing to  their  real  value,  most  things  according  to 
the  prejudices  of  their  minds. 

PUNISHMENT   OF   THE   PERJURED   AND   THE   LIAR. 

The  same  punishment,  which  the  gods  inflict  on 
the  perjured,  is  prepared  for  the  liar.  For  it 
is  not  the  form  of  words,  in  which  the  oath  is 
wrapped  up,  but  the  perfidy  and  malice  of  the  act 
that  excite  the  wrath  and  anger  of  the  immortal 
gods  against  men. 

THE   PERJURED   AND   THE   LIAR. 

The  man,  who  has  once  deviated  from  the  truth, 
is  usually  led  on  by  no  greater  scruples  to  commit 
perjury  than  to  tell  a  lie. 

THOU   SHALT  NOT   KILL. 

The  connection  of  blood  is  of  great  power.  It 
is  a  most  undeniable  portent  and  prodigy  that 
there  should  be  one  having  the  human  shape,  who 


30  CICERO. 

should  so  exceed  the  beasts  in  savage  nature  as  to 
deprive  those  of  life,  by  whose  means  he  has  him- 
self beheld  this  most  delicious  light  of  life. 

So  Genesis  ix.  5: — 

"And  surely  your  blood  of  your  lives  will  I  require:  at  the 
band  of  every  beast  will  I  require  it,  and  at  the  hand  of  man ; 
at  the  hand  of  every  man's  brother  will  I  require  the  life  of 
man." 

GUILTY  CONSCIENCE. 

It  is  the  terror  that  arises  from  his  own  dishon- 
est and  evil  life  that  chiefly  torments  a  man :  his 
wickedness  drives  him  to  and  fro,  racking  him  to 
madness;  the  consciousness  of  bad  thoughts  and 
worse  deeds  terrifies  him:  these  are  the  never-dy- 
ing Furies  that  inwardly  gnaw  his  life  away; 
which  day  and  night  call  for  punishment  on 
wicked  children  for  their  behavior  to  their  par- 
ents. 

THE   SELF-MADE   MAN. 

He  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  noblest,  who  has  raised 
himself  by  his  own  merit  to  a  higher  station. 

AN   ADVANTAGE   TO   WHOM. 

L.  Cassius,  whom  the  Roman  people  used  to  re- 
gard as  the  best  and  wisest  of  judges,  inquired 
ever  and  anon  at  a  trial: — For  whose  advantage 
the  deed  was  committed. 

DIFFERENCES  OF  POWERS. 

For  we  cannot  do  everything  by  ourselves;  dif- 
ferent men  have  different  abilities. 

FRIENDSHIP. 

Nor  is  there  any  more  certain  tie  of  friendship 
than  when  men  are  joined  and  bound  together  in 
their  objects  and  desires. 


CICERO.  31 

So  Shakespeare  ("  Merchant  of  Venice,"  act  iii.  sc.  4)  says:— 

"  For  in  companions 

That  do  converse  and  waste  the  time  together, 
Whose  souls  do  bear  an  equal  yoke  of  love, 
There  must  be  needs  a  like  proportion 
Of  lineaments,  of  manners,  and  of  spirit." 

THE   POPULACE. 

There  is  no  sagacity,  no  penetration,  no  powers 
of  discrimination,  no  perseverance  in  the  common 
people:  the  wise  have  always  regarded  their  acts 
rather  to  be  endured  than  to  be  praised. 

BALLOT. 

The  voting  tablet  is  pleasing  to  the  people, 
which  holds  up  to  view  the  countenance,  while  it 
conceals  the  intentions,  and  gives  a  man  liberty  to 
do  what  he  wishes,  but  to  promise  what  is  asked 
of  him. 

FILIAL  AFFECTION. 

The  dutif ulness  of  children  is  the  foundation  of 
all  the  virtues. 

SLANDER. 

There  is  nothing  which  wings  its  flight  so 
swiftly  as  calumny,  nothing  which  is  uttered  with 
more  ease;  nothing  is  listened  to  with  more  read- 
iness, nothing  dispersed  more  widely. 

Shakespeare  ("  Cymbeline,"  act  iii.  sc.  4)  says:— 

'"Tis  slander; 

Whose  edge  is  sharper  than  the  sword;  whose  tongue 
Outvenoms  all  the  worms  of  Nile ;  whose  breath 
Rides  on  the  posting  winds,  and  doth  belie 
All  corners  of  the  world;  kings,  queens,  and  states, 
Maids,  matrons,  nay,  the  secrets  of  the  grave 
This  viperous  slander  enters." 


32  CICERO. 

So  Psalm  xxxiv.  13:— 

"  Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil,  and  thy  lips  from  speaking 
guile." 

A  CANDIDATE. 

Virtue,  honesty,  uprightness  are  the  qualities 
that  are  required  in  a  candidate,  not  fluency  of 
language,  nor  knowledge  of  arts  and  sciences. 

VIRTUE. 

In  the  approach  to  virtue  there  are  many  steps. 

So  Ephesians  iv.  13:— "Till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the 
faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect 
man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of 
Christ." 

BULES  FOK  LIFE. 

The  illustrious  and  noble  ought  to  place  before 
them  certain  rules  and  regulations,  not  less  for 
their  hours  of  leisure  and  relaxation  than  for 
those  of  business. 

GRATITUDE. 

A  grateful  mind  is  not  only  the  greatest  of  vir- 
tues, but  the  parent  of  all  the  other  virtues. 

GRATITUDE   TO   BE   FELT   FOR   EARLY   TEACHING. 

Who  of  us  is  there  liberally  brought  up,  who 
does  not  gratefully  remember  those  who  have 
brought  him  up,  his  masters,  and  teachers,  even 
the  very  dumb  place  where  he  has  been  nourished 
and  taught  ? 

CHANGE   OF   OPINIONS   ALLOWABLE. 

I  have  learnt,  seen  and  read,  that  the  following 
are  the  proper  principles  for  the  guidance  of  man : 
— Ancient  records  and  the  annals  of  literature, 


both  of  this  state  and  of  others,  have  handed  it 
down  to  us  as  the  words  of  the  wise  and  noble, 
that  the  same  opinions  raid  sentiments  are  not  in- 
variably to  be  supported  by  the  same  individuals, 
but  that  they  ought  to  adopt  those  which  may  be 
required  by  the  circumstances  of  the  times,  the 
position  in  which  the  state  is  placed,  and  accord- 
ing as  the  peace  and  agreement  of  parties  may 
require. 

HATRED. 

Let  them  hate,  provided  they  fear. 

AN   ABYSS   OF   EVILS. 

An  abyss  and  gulf  of  evils. 

SECKET    ENMITY. 

There  is  nothing  more  difficult  to  guai'd  against 
than  what  is  concealed  under  the  pretence  of  duty. 
For  when  you  have  one,  who  is  your  openly  de- 
clared enemy,  you  may  easily  avoid  his  attacks  by 
caution:  while  a  hidden  ill  not  only  exists  but 
overwhelms  you,  before  you  are  able  to  foresee  it 
or  examine  into  its  existence. 

UNCERTAINTY   OF   LIFE. 

It  is  uncertain  how  long  the  life  of  each  of  us 
will  be. 

INTEGRITY. 

There  is  no  cause  for  glorying  in  being  upright, 
where  no  one  has  the  power  or  is  trying  to  corrupt 
you. 

A  TRAITOR. 

No  wise  man  ever  thought  that  a  traitor  ought 
to  be  trusted. 
3 


34  CICERO. 

PHYSICIAN,    HEAL   THYSELF. 

When  a  man  takes  upon  himself  to  correct  the 
manners  of  his  neighbor,  and  to  reprove  his  faults, 
who  will  forgive  him  if  he  has  deviated  in  the 
slightest  degree  from  the  precise  line  of  his  duty  ? 

So  Matthew  xviii.  33:— "Shonldest  not  thou  also  have  had 
compassion  on  thy  fellow-servant,  even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee? 
And  his  lord  was  wroth,  and  delivered  him  to  the  torment- 
ors, till  he  should  pay  all  that  was  due  unto  him." 

THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  CHOPS. 

All  the  results  of  agriculture  are  dependent  not 
so  much  on  reason  and  diligence,  as  on  those  most 
uncertain  of  all  things,  winds  and  weather. 

FINDING   FAULT   WITH   OTHERS. 

Everything  that  thou  reprovest  in  another,  thou 
must  above  nil  take  care  that  thou  art  not  thyself 
guilty  of. 

COVETOUSNESS. 

That  evil,  if  implanted  in  man's  nature,  creeps 
on  in  such  a  way,  when  the  habit  of  sinning  has 
emancipated  itself  from  control,  that  no  limits  can 
be  put  to  its  bold  proceedings. 

RELATIONSHIP   OF   PURSUITS   AND   HABITS. 

A  relationship  in  pursuits  and  habits  is  almost 
as  important  as  the  relationship  of  name  mid 
family. 

SACRILEGE. 

Things  sacred  should  not  only  not  be  touched 
with  the  hands,  but  may  not  be  violated  even  in 
thought. 

So  Luke  xix.  46: — "My  house  Is  the  house  of  prayer;  but 
ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves." 


C ICE HO.  35 

SECRET   ENMITIES. 
} 

Secret  enmities  are  more  to  be  feared  than  open. 

HIS   OWN  CONFESSION   CONDEMNS   HIM. 

He  must  be  convicted  by  his  own  confession. 

FlilENDS   AND   ENEMIES. 

Let  friends  perish,  provided  our  enemies  are  de- 
stroyed along  with  them. 

MASTER   AND  SLAVE. 

He,  who  should  be  the  master,  sometimes  takes 
the  place  of  the  slave;  he,  who  should  be  the 
slave,  becomes  the  master. 

THE  RESULT  OF   A   PLAN. 

Men  usually  judge  of  the  prudence  of  a  plan  by 
the  result,  and  are  very  apt  to  say  that  the  suc- 
cessful man  has  had  much  forethought,  and  the 
unsuccessful  shown  great  want  of  it. 

LIBERTY. 

What  is  so  much  beloved  by  the  people  as  liberty, 
which  you  see  not  only  to  be  greedily  sought  after 
by  men,  but  also  by  leasts,  and  to  be  preferred  to 
all  things? 

MAKNEStS. 

Men's  characters  and  habits  are  not  influenced 
so  much  by  the  peculiarities  of  family  and  race  as 
by  the  physical  features  of  their  native  land  and 
their  mode  of  life — things,  by  which  we  are  sup- 
ported and  by  which  we  live. 


36  (.'ICE  1 10. 

PROSPERITY. 

Aii  individual  in  a  private  station,  unless  he  be 
endued  with  great  wisdom,  cannot  confine  himself 
in  due  bounds  if  he  reach  high  fortune  and  wealth. 

THE  SOUL. 

Therefore,  for  many  other  reasons,  the  souls  of 
the  good  appear  to  me  to  be  divine  and  eternal; 
but  chiefly  on  this  account,  because  the  soul  of  the 
best  and  the  wisest  has  such  anticipation  of  a 
future  state  of  being,  that  it  seems  to  centre  its 
thoughts  only  on  eternity. 

REVEXGE. 

We  can  more  easily  avenge  an  injury  than  requite 
a  kindness  ;  on  this  account,  because  there  is  less 
difficulty  in  getting  the  better  of  the  wicked  than 
in  making  one's  self  equal  with  the  good. 

VITUPERATION. 

Scurrility  has  no  object  in  view  but  incivility;  if 
it  is  uttered  from  feelings  of  petulance,  it  is  mere 
abuse;  if  it  is  spoken  in  a  joking  manner,  it  may 
be  considered  raillery. 

SOWING   WILD   OATS. 

There  have  been  many  most  illustrious  men,  who 
when  their  youthful  passions  had  cooled  down, 
displayed  in  mature  age  the  most  exalted  virtues. 

THE   APPETITES. 

The  appetites  of  the  belly  and  the  throat  are  so 
far  from  diminishing  in  men  by  time  that  they  go 
on  increasing. 


CICERO.  37 

So  Proverbs  xiii.  25  :— 

"  The  righteous  eateth  to  the  satisfying  of  his  soul:  but 
the  belly  of  the  wicked  shall  want," 

TKUTH. 

Oli !  great  is  the  power  of  truth,  which  is  easily 
able  to  clef  end  itself  against  the  artful  proceedings 
of  men,  their  cunning,  and  subtlety,  not  less  than 
against  their  treachery. 

So  Johnvii.25:- 

"Then  said  some  of  them  of  Jerusalem,  Is  not  this  he  whom 
they  saek  to  kill  ?  But,  lo,  he  speaketh  boldly,  and  they  say 
nothing  unto  him." 

DESIRE   OF   PLEASURE. 

He  was  not  accustomed  to  pleasures  ;  which, 
when  they  are  pent  up  for  a  long  while  and  have 
been  curbed  and  kept  down  in  the  early  period  of 
youth,  sometimes  burst  forth  suddenly  and  over- 
throw every  obstacle. 

THE   SEEDS   IN   YOUTH. 

The  desires  in  the  young,  as  in  herbs,  point  out 
what  will  be  the  future  virtues  of  the  man,  and 
what  great  crops  are  likely  to  reward  his  indus- 
try. 

OUR   COUNTRY. 

Our  country  is  the  common  parent  of  all. 

FOR   WHAT   PURPOSE    WORDS   WERE   INVENTED. 

Because  our  intentions  cannot  be  made  out  if  we 
be  silent,  words  have  been  invented  not  to  be  a 
curb,  but  to  point  them  out. 


38  CICERO. 

JUSTICE   MUST   NOT    BE   WARPED. 

The  administration  of  justice  ought  neither  to  be 
warped  by  favor,  nor  broken  through  by  the 
power  of  the  noble,  nor  bought  by  money. 

THIS   IS  THE   POINT   OF   MY  ARGUMENT. 

This  is  the  point  of  my  defence. 

TAXES  THE  SINEWS  OF  THE  STATE. 

We  have  always  considered  taxes  to  be  the 
sinews  of  the  state. 

FALSEHOOD. 

It  is  the  act  of  a  bad  man  to  deceive  by  false- 
hood. 

THE   COUNTENANCE. 

The  whole  countenance  is  a  certain  silent  lan- 
guage of  the  mind. 

Shakespeare  ("  Pericles,"  act  i.  sc.  1)  says:— 
"  Her  face  the  book  of  praises,  where  is  read 
Nothing  but  curious  pleasures,  as  from  thence 
Sorrow  were  ever  razed,  and  testy  wrath 
Could  never  be  her  mild  companion." 

THE   BELLY. 

Born  for  the  gratification  of  his  appetite  and  not 
for  the  acquisition  of  glory  and  honor. 

GUILTY   CONSCIENCE. 

It  is  a  mail's  own  dishonesty,  his  crimes,  his 
wickedness,  and  barefaced  assurance,  that  takes 
away  from  him  soundness  of  mind:  these  are  the 
furies,  these  the  flames  and  firebrands  of  the 
wicked. 

So  Job  xv.  20:— 

"  The  wicked  man  travaileth  with  pain  all  his  days." 


CICERO.  3<J 

SIGNS   OF   A  TRIFLING  CHARACTER. 

It  is  the  sign  of  a  trifling  character  to  catch  at 
fame  that  is  got  by  silly  reports. 

THE  MURDERER. 

They  say  that  it  is  unlawful  for  one  to  live  who 
confesses  that  he  has  slain  a  man. 

So  Romans  xiii.  4:— 

"  For  he  is  the  minister  of  God  to  thee  for  good.  But  if  thou 
do  that  which  is  evil,  be  afraid;  for  he  beareth  not  the  sword 
in  vain:  for  he  is  the  minister  of  God,  a  revenger  to  execute 
wrath  upon  him  that  doeth  evil." 

LA 

This,  therefore,  is  a  law  not  found  in  books,  but 
written  on  the  fleshly  tablets  of  the  heart,  which 
we  have  not  learned  from  man,  received  or  read, 
but  which  we  have  caught  up  from  nature  herself, 
sucked  in  and  imbibed;  the  knowledge  of  which 
we  were  not  taught,  but  for  which  we  were  made: 
we  received  it  not  by  education  but  by  intuition. 

LAWS. 

The  law  is  silent  amidst  the  din  of  civil  war. 

FICKLENESS   OF   THE    MULTITUDE. 

It  is  the  duty  of  men  of  high  rank  to  oppose  the 
fickle  disposition  of  the  multitude. 

IMPUNITY. 

The  hope  of  impunity  is  a  very  great  inducement 
for  a  man  to  commit  wrong. 

CONSCIENCE. 

Great  is  the  power  of  conscience — great  in  both 
ways — so  that  those  should  not  fear  who  have 


40  LHJERO. 

done  no  wrong,  and  that  those  who  have  should 
always  have  punishment  hanging  before  their  eyes. 

SUSPICION. 

Men  not  only  forget  the  mighty  deeds  which  have 
been  performed  by  their  fellow-citizens,  but  even 
suspect  them  of  the  most  nefarious  designs. 

THE   THOUGHTS   ABE   UNFETTERED. 

Our  thoughts  are  free  and  contemplate  whatever 
they  choose  in  a  way  that  we  really  discern  those 
things  which  we  think  that  we  see. 

THE   POVVEB   OF    GOD. 

Ye  immortal  gods  (for  I  shall  grant  what  is 
yours),  it  was  you  doubtless  that  then  roused  me 
to  the  desire  of  saving  my  country;  it  was  you 
who  turned  me  away  from  all  other  thoughts  to 
the  one  idea  of  preserving  the  republic;  it  was  you 
iu  short  who  amidst  a-11  that  darkness  of  error  and 
ignorance  held  up  a  bright  light  before  my  mind. 

So  1  Corinthians  iv.  6: — 

"  For  God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  dark- 
ness, hath  shiued  in  our  hearts." 

HOXOB  THY  PARENTS. 

I  am  quite  aware  that  men  ought  not  only  to  be 
silent  about  the  injuries  which  they  suffer  from 
their  parents  but  even  to  bear  them  with  patience. 

A  WISE  MAX. 

They  say  that  he  is  wisest  to  •whom,  whatever 
is  necessary  for  the  success  of  a  scheme,  comes 
into  his  mind ;  that  he  is  next  who  is  ready  to 
yield  to  the  experience  of  others.  In  the  case  of 
folly,  however,  it  is  the  very  opposite:  for  he  is 
less  silly  to  whom  nothing  foolish  comes  into  his 


CICERO.  41 

mind  than  he  who  yields  to  the  unwise  suggestions 
of  another. 

THE  FUKY  OF  THE  PEOPLE   LIKE   THE   BOISTEROUS 

SEA. 

Hence  that  was  easily  understood,  which  has 
been  often  said,  that  as  the  sea,  which  is  calm 
when  left  to  itself,  is  excited  and  turned  up  by  the 
fury  of  the  winds,  so,  too,  the  Roman  people,  of 
itself  placable,  is  easily  roused  by  the  language  of 
demagogues  as  by  the  most  violent  storms. 

So  Solon  (Fr.  7  S.)  says:  — 

"  From  the  clouds  issue  storms  of  snow  and  hail,  and  thun- 
ders from  the  bright  lightning,  and  the  city  is  ruined  by 
mighty  demagogues." 

LAW. 

For  law  is  the  security  for  the  enjoyment  of  the 
high  rank,  which  we  possess  in  the  republic;  this 
is  the  foundation  of  our  liberty,  this  is  the  foun- 
tain-head of  all  justice;  in  the  laws  are  found  the 
will,  the  spirit,  the  prudence,  and  the  decision  of 
the  state.  As  our  bodies  cannot  be  of  use  without 
our  intellectual  faculties,  so  the  state,  without 
law,  cannot  use  its  various  parts,  which  are  to  it 
like  nerves,  blood,  and  limbs.  The  ministers  of 
the  law  are  its  magistrates;  the  interpreters  of 
the  laws  are  the  judges;  we  are  therefore  all 
slaves  of  the  law  that  we  may  enjoy  freedom. 

Pindar  (Fr.  Incert.  2)  says:— 

"Law,  the  king  of  all  mortals  and  immortals,  rules  over  the 
most  violent  with  a  high  hand,  assigning  what  is  most  just." 

So  Galatians  iii.  24:— 

"  Wherefore  the  law  was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto 
Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith.'' 

And  Romans  viii.  2: — 

"  For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made 
me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." 


42  CICERO. 

BRINGERS  OF  GOOD  NEWS. 

For  it  generally  happens  that  those  who  wish  to 
tell  us  good  news  make  some  fictitious  addition, 
that  the  news  which  they  bring  us  may  give  us 
more  joy. 

FRIENDS. 

To  take  the  companionship  of  life  from  life, 
what  else  is  it  than  to  take  away  the  means  of  ab- 
sent friends  conversing  together? 

ARMS. 
Let  the  soldiers  yield  to  the  civilian. 

RELAXATION  OF  THE  MIND  NECESSARY. 

Men,  in  whatever  state  of  anxiety  they  may  be, 
provided  they  are  men,  sometimes  indulge  in  re- 
laxation. 

So  Psalm  xciv.  12:— 

"  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  thou  chastenest,  O  Lord." 

ILL-GOTTEN  GAINS. 

What  is  dishonestly  got,  vanishes  in  profligacy. 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  565,  M.)  says:— 

"The  gains  of  the  wicked  bring  short-lived  pleasure,  but 
afterwards  long-continued  grief.'' 

Euripides  (Fr.,  Erechth.  10)  says:— 

"  For  it  is  right  to  prize  what  is  our  own,  rather  than  what 
has  been  acquired  by  robbery:  for  ill-gotten  wealth  is  never 
stable." 

So  Proverbs  x.  2: — 

"Treasures  of  wickedness  profit  nothing:  but  righteous- 
ness delivereth  from  death." 

THE  DRUNKEN. 

Prudence  is  not  to  be  expected  from  a  man  that 
is  never  sober. 


CICERO.  43 

FEAR. 

Fear  is  never  a  lasting  teacher  of  duty. 

So  2  Timothy  i.  7:— 

"For  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear;  but  of 
power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind." 

And  Isaiah  lii.  7:— 

"  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him 
that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace;  that  bring- 
eth  good  tidings  of  good;  that  publisheth  salvation.'' 

PEACE. 

Peace  is  delightful,  and  in  every  way  an  object 
of  desire ;  but  between  peace  and  slavery  there  is 
a  vast  difference.  Peace  is  liberty  calmly  enjoyed ; 
slavery  is  the  most  pernicious  of  all  evils — to  be 
resisted  not  only  by  war,  but  even  by  death. 

So  Psalm  Ixxxv.  10:— 

"  Mercy  and  truth  are  met  together;  righteousness  and 
peace  have  kissed  each  other." 

Gl.OItlOUS  ACTION. 

There  is  a  sufficient  recompense  in  the  very  con- 
sciousness of  a  noble  deed. 

So  Psalm  cxix.  165:— 

"  Great  peace  have  they  which  love  thy  law." 

THE  UNPKEPARED. 

A  short  time  is  long  enough  for  those  that  are 
unprepared. 

THE  WOLF. 

What  a  noble  guardian  of  the  sheep  is  the  wolf! 
as  the  proverb  goes. 

So  Matthew  vii.  15: — 

"  Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in  sheep's 
clothing,  but  inwardly  th,ey  are  ravening  wolves." 


44  C1CEIU). 

SLAVERY. 

There  is  nothing  more  painful  than  dishonor, 
nothing  more  vile  than  slavei-y.  We  have  been 
born  for  the  enjoyment  of  honor  and  liberty;  let 
us  either  retain  these  or  die  with  dignity. 

In  the  scholia  to  the  "  Piutus ''  of  Aristophanes  (1.  5)  there 
is  a  couplet  which  says: — 

"  For  far-seeing  Jupiter  deprives  man  of  half  of  his  manly 
existence  when  he  plunges  him  into  slavery." 

VIRTUE. 

While  all  other  things  are  uncertain,  evanescent, 
and  ephemeral,  virtue  alone  is  fixfed  with  deep 
roots;  it  can  neither  te  overthrowii  by  any  vio- 
lence or  moved  from  its  place. 

So  Jeremiah  xvii.  8: — 

"  For  he  shall  be  as  a  tree  planted  by  the  waters,  and  that 
spreadeth  out  her  roots  by  the  river." 

And  Psalm  i.  3:— 

"  And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water, 
that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season:  his  leaf  also  shall 
not  wither;  and  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper." 

MONEY  THE   SINEWS  OF  WAR. 

Plenty  of  money,  the  sinews  of  war. 

HOW   EVENTS  ARE  DETERMINED. 

The  most  important  events  are  often  determined 
by  very  trivial  influences. 

So  Isaiah  Ix.  22:— 

"  A  little  one  shall  become  a  thousand." 

THE   RERUNNING  TO   BE   OPPOSED. 

Every  evil  in  the  bud  is  easily  crushed ;  when  it 
has  continued  a  long  time,  it  is  usually  more  dif- 
ficult to  get  rid  of. 


CICERO.  45 

So  Proverbs  vii.  25: — 

"  Let  not  thine  heart  decline  to  her  ways,  go  not  astray  in 
her  paths." 

PROCRASTINATION. 

In  the  management  of  most  things  slowness  and 
procrastination  are  hateful. 

PILOTS. 

Even  the  ablest  pilots  are  willing  to  receive 
advice  from  passengers  in  tempestuous  weather. 

PROMISES   OF  WHAT   IS  UNJUST. 

The  promise  of  what  is  unjust  brings  evil  both 
on  those  who  are  expecting  it,  and  on  thos=  who 
make  the  promise. 

LIFE   OF   THE    DEAD. 

The  life  of  the  dead  arises  from  being  present  to 
the  mind  of  the  living. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Erechth.  11)  says: — 

"  I  maintain  that  those  who  have  died  honorably,  are  alive 
rather  than  that  those  live,  who  lead  a  dishonored  life." 

PATIENCE. 

The  wise  should  recollect  that  every  event  of 
life  must  be  borne  with  patience,  but  it  shows  a 
still  higher  character  to  anticipate  and  prevent 
coming  evils,  though  it  is  not  less  noble  to  bear 
them  with  fortitude  when  they  have  overtaken  us. 

SUFFERINGS   OF  THE   MIND. 

For  in  the  same  way  as  the  strength  of  the  mind 
surpasses  that  of  the  body,  in  the  same  way  the 
sufferings  of  the  mind  are  more  severe  than  .the 
pains  of  the  body. 


46  CICERO. 

LAW. 

Law  is  nothing  else  but  right  reason,  derived 
from  the  inspiration  of  the  gods,  calling  us  impe- 
riously to  our  duty,  and  peremptorily  prohibiting 
every  violation  of  it. 

AGE    SUCCEEDS  AGE. 

Nothing  maintains  its  bloom  forever;  age  suc- 
ceeds to  age. 

/  TO    ERR    IS    HUMAN. 

/  /Any  man  may  commit  a  mistake,  but  none  but 
Ka  fool  will  continue  in  it.     Second  thoughts  are 
best,  as  the  proverb  says. 

Cato  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  1131,  M.)  says:— 

"  Being  a  mortal  you  have  stumbled ;  in  this  mortal  life  it  is 
a  wonder,  when  a  man  has  been  happy  throughout  his  life." 

And  Spenser  in  the  "  Faerie  Queen ''  (xii.  52)  thus  expresses 
himself:— 

"For  he  was  flesh  (all  flesh  doth  frailty  breed!)" 
And  Pope  ("  Essay  on  Criticism,"  pt.  ii.  1.  526):— 
"To  err  is  human,  to  forgive  divine." 

And  still  more  beautifully  Burns  ("  Address  to  the  Unco 
Guid  "):— 

"  Then  gently  scan  your  brother  man. 

Still  gentler,  sister  woman; 
Though  they  may  gang  a'  kennin'  wrang. 

To  step  aside  is  human." 
So  Proverbs  xii.  15: — 
"  The  way  of  a  fool  is  right  in  his  own  eyes." 

A   PENITENT. 

Change  of  conduct  is  the  best  refuge  for  a  re- 
pentant sinner. 

LIFE   NOT   THE   HIGHEST   GOOD. 

The  worst  of  all  is  to  undergo  the  greatest  dis- 
grace from  a  desire  of  life. 


CICERO.  47 

DEATH  FOR  ONE'S  COUNTRY. 

O  happy  death,  which,  though  we  owe  it  to  nat- 
ui'e,  it  is  noble  to  sutler  in  defence  of  our  country. 


It  is  a  brief  period  of  life  that  is  granted  us  by 
nature,  but  the  memory  of  a  well-spent  life  never 
dies. 

FORTUNE. 
Fortune  is  the  ruler  of  human  affairs. 

WHAT  MAKES   MEN   EQUAL  TO   GOD. 

To  conquer  our  inclinations,  to  curb  our  angry 
feelings,  to  be  moderate  in  the  hour  of  victory,  not 
merely  to  raise  a  fallen  adversary,  distinguished 
for  noble  birth,  genius  and  virtue,  but  even  to  in- 
crease his  previous  dignity;  these  actions  are  of 
such  a  nature,  that  he  who  does  them,  I  would 
compare  not  with  the  most  illustrious  of  men  but 
with  God  himself. 

VICTORY. 
Victory  is  by  nature  insolent  and  haughty. 

THE   FRAILTY   OF   ALL,   HUMAN   THINGS. 

There  is  nothing  done  by  the  labor  and  hands 
of  man,  which  sometime  or  other  length  of  time 
does  not  bring  to  an  end  and  destroy. 

THE  FAULT  OF  THE  AGE  TO  ENVY  VIRTUE. 

It  is  the  stain  and  disgrace  of  this  age  to  envy 
virtue,  and  to  be  anxious  to  crush  the  budding 
flower  of  dignity. 


4s 


So  Proverbs  xxiv.  17:  — 

"Rejoice  not  when  thine  enemy  falleth  ;  and  let  not  thine 
heart  be  glad  when  he  stumbleth." 

RESULT   OF    DEVOTION  TO    ONE    PARTICULAR   BUSI- 

NESS. 

Constant  devotion  to  one  particular  line  of  busi- 
ness often  proves  superior  to  genius  and  art. 

CHANGE    OF    OPINION  ALLOWABLE   TO   POLITI- 
CIANS. 

I  deem  it  no  proof  of  inconsistency  to  regulate 
our  opinions  as  AVC  would  do  a  ship  and  a  ship's 
course  on  a  voyage,  according  to  the  weather  which 
might  be  prevailing  in  the  commonwealth. 

THE  FOREHEAD. 

The  forehead  is  the  gate  of  the  mind. 

EAT  TO   LIVE. 

Thou  shouldst  eat  to  live,  not  live  to  eat. 

HIS   HOUSE  IS  A  MAN'S  CASTLE. 

What  is  more  sacred,  what  more  closely  fenced 
round  with  every  description  of  religious  reverence 
than  the  house  of  every  individual  citizen?  This 
is  the  asylum  of  every  one,  so  holy  a  spot  that  it 
is  impious  to  drag  any  one  from  it 

HOW  MEN  APPROACH  NEAR  TO  THE  GODS. 

Men  approach  nearer  to  the  gods  in  no  way  than 
by  giving  safety  to  men. 

So  Colossians  i.  13:— 

"  Who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and 
hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son." 


CICERO.  40 

THE  FOOL. 

For  know  this,  that  those  who  have  no  aid  or 
support  within  themselves  to  render  their  lives 
happy,  will  find  every  state  irksome ;  while  sucli 
as  are  convinced  they  must  owe  their  happiness 
to  themselves,  will  never  consider  anything  as  an 
evil  that  is  but  a  necessary  effect  of  the  estab- 
lished order  of  nature,  which  old  age  most  un- 
doubtedly is. 

DEATH. 

It  was  absolutely  necessary  that  some  term 
should  be  set,  and  that,  as  it  is  with  the  fruits  of 
trees,  and  of  the  earth,  seasons  should  be  allowed 
for  their  springing,  growing  ripening,  and  at  last 
to  drop.  This  wise  men  will  cheerfully  submit  to; 
nor  could  anything  else  be  meant  by  the  stories 
told  of  the  giants  warring  against  the  gods,  than 
men's  rebelling  against  nature  and  its  laws. 

DISCONTENT. 

But  a  perverse  temper  and  fretful  disposition, 
will,  wherever  they  prevail,  render  any  state  of 
life  whatsoever  unhappy. 

VIRTUE. 

But  the  best  armor  of  old  age,  Scipio  and  Lae- 
lius,  is  a  well-spent  life  preceding  it;  a  life  em- 
ployed in  the  pursuit  of  useful  knowledge,  in  hon- 
orable actions  and  the  practice  of  virtue;  in 
which  he  who  labors  to  improve  himself  from 
his  youth  will  in  age  reap  the  happiest  fruits  of 
them;  not  only  because  these  never  leave  a  man, 
not  even  in  the  extremest  old  age,  but  because  a 
conscience  bearing  witness  that  our  life  was  well 
spent,  together  with  the  remembrance  of  past  good 
4 


50  C.H  'ERO. 

actions,   yields  an  unspeakable  comfort   to    the 
soul. 

So  t  Peter  iii.  16:—"  Having  a  good  conscience." 
GLORIOUS  ACTIONS. 

For  it  is  neither  by  bodily  strength,  nor  swift- 
ness, nor  agility,  that  momentous  affairs  are  car- 
ried on,  but  by  judgment,  counsel,  and  authority, 
the  abilities  for  which  are  so  far  from  failing  m 
old  age,  that  they  truly  increase  with  it. 

RASHNESS. 

For  it  is  a  truth  but  too  well  known,  that  rash- 
ness attends  youth,  as  prudence  does  old  age. 

POSTERITY. 

Nor,  if  yon  ask  one  of  these  men  for  whom  it  is 
he  is  thus  laboring,  will  he  be  at  any  loss  to  an- 
swer thus:  "I  do  it,"  he  will  say,  "for  the  im- 
mortal gods,  who,  as  they  bestowed  these  grounds 
on  me,  require  at  my  hands  that  I  should  transmit 
them  improved  to  posterity,  who  are  to  succeed 
me  in  the  possession  of  them." 

.  ENERGY. 

What  one  has,  that  one  ought  to  use;  and  what- 
ever we  take  in  hand,  we  ought  to  do  it  with  all 
our  might. 

RESULT  OP  SENSUALITY   IN   YOUTH. 

A  youth  of  sensuality  and  intemperance  delivers 
over  a  worn-out  body  to  old  age. 

ITS  OWN  PECULIAR    PERIOD    ASSIGNED  TO    EVERY 
PART   OF   LIFE. 

Now,  if  the  choice  were  given  you,  which  would 
you  prefer,  Milo's  strength  of  body,  or  Pythago- 


CICERO.  51 

ras's  abilities  of  mind  ?  In  short,  while  you  have 
strength  use  it;  when  it  leaves  you,  no  more  repine 
for  the  want  of  it,  than  you  did  when  lads  that  your 
childhood  was  past,  or  at  the  years  of  manhood 
that  you  were  no  longer  boys.  The  stages  of  life 
are  fixed ;  nature  is  the  same  in  all,  and  goes  on  in 
a  plain  and  steady  course  r  every  part  of  life,  like 
the  year,  has  its  peculiar  season :  as  children  are 
by  nature  weak,  youth  is  rash  and  bold,  staid 
manhood  more  solid  and  grave ;  and  so  old  age  in 
its  maturity  has  something  natural  to  itself  that 
ought  particularly  to  recommend  it. 

So  Ecclesiastes  iii.  1  :— 

"  To  everything  there  is  a  season,  and  a  time  to  every  pur- 
pose under  the  heaven." 


The  body,  we  know,  when  over-labored,  becomes 
heavy,  and,  as  it  were,  jaded;  but  it  is  exercise 
alone  that  supports  the  spirits  and  keeps  the  mind 
in  vigor. 

Dryden  ("Ep.  to  John  Dryden  of  Chesterton,"  v.  94)  says: — 

"The  wise,  for  cure  on  exercise  depend: 
God  never  made  his  work  for  man  to  mend." 


PASSIONS. 

"  The  greatest  curse,"  said  he,  "  derived  by  man 
from  nature,  is  bodily  pleasure  when  the  passions 
are  indulged,  and  strong  inordinate  desires  are 
raised  and  set  in  motion  for  obtaining  it.  For  this 
have  men  betrayed  their  country;  for  this  have 
states  and  governments  been  plunged  in  ruin;  for 
this  have  treacherous  correspondences  been  held 
with  public  enemies." 


52  CICERO. 

In  Howard's  tragi  comedy,  "  The  Blind  Lady,"  he  says:— 

"  Passions  are  like  thieves, 
That  watch  to  enter  undefended  places." 

So  1  John  ii.  16:— 

"  For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the 
lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is  not  of  the  Father,  but 
is  of  the  world." 

MIXD. 

It  is  owned  that  the  most  noble  and  excellent 
gift  of  heaven  to  man  is  reason;  and  it  is  as  sure, 
that  of  all  the  enemies  reason  has  to  engage  with, 
pleasure  is  the  most  capital. 

PLEASURE. 

Pleasure  blinds,  so  to  say,  the  eyes  of  the  mind, 
and  has  no  fellowship  with  virtue. 

PLEASURE. 

Yet  as  nature  has  so  ordered  it,  that  pleasure 
should  have  a  very  strong  hold  of  us,  and  the  in- 
clination to  it  appears  deeply  founded  in  our  very 
composition  (and  it  is  with  too  much  justice  that 
the  divine  Plato  calls  it  the  bait  of  evil,  by  which 
men  are  caught  as  fish  with  a  hook);  therefore 
though  age  is  not  taken,  nor  can  weh  bear  with 
those  splendid  sumptuous  f  eastings  and  revels,  yet 
we  are  not  so  insensible  to  the  pleasures  of  life, 
but  that  we  can  indulge  ourselves. 

PLEASURES  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

But  I  am  now  come  to  speak  of  the  pleasures  of 
a  country  life,  with  which  I  am  infinitely  delighted. 
To  these  old  age  never  is  an  obstruction.  It  is  the 
life  of  nature,  and  appears  to  me  the  precise 
course  which  a  wise  man  ought  to  follow. 


CK'EHO.  53 

OLD  AGP;. 

Old  age  in  a  person  graced  Avith  honors  is  at- 
tended with  such  respect  and  authority,  that  the 
sense  of  this  alone  is  preferable  to  all  the  pleasures 
youth  can  enjoy. 

Pherecrates  (Fr.  Cora.  Gr.  i.  129,  M.)  says:— 

"  O  old  age,  how  burdensome  and  grievous  thou  art  to  men 
in  every  way,  and  not  in  one  thing  only.  For  when  we  have 
neither  strength  nor  power,  then  thou  teachest  us  to  have 
good  understanding." 

Euripides  (Fr.  Beller,  13)  says: — 

"  My  child,  the  hands  of  the  young  are  active  in  deeds,  but 
the  judgment  of  the  old  is  superior:  for  time  gives  a  variety 
of  lessons." 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  555,  M.)  says:— 

"  Therefore  old  age  possesses  a  peculiar  power  in  counsel, 
for  this  reason,  because  it  has  seen  and  suffered  much." 

AVARICE. 

For  can  anything  be  more  senselessly  absurd, 
than  that  the  nearer  we  are  to  our  journey's  end, 
we  should  still  lay  in  the  more  provision  for  it? 

WHAT   CAN   BE   CALLED   LONG   IN   LIFE. 

Yet,  O  good  gods !  what  is  it  in  life  that  can  be 
said  to  be  of  long  duration?  Though  we  should 
hold  it  to  the  utmost  extent  of  age,  or  admit  we 
should  live  the  days  of  that  Taitessian  king  (for  I 
have  read  that  one  Arganthonius  reigned  at  Cadiz 
fourscore  years,  and  lived  to  a  hundred  and 
twenty),  yet  in  my  opinion  nothing  can  properly  be 
termed  lasting  that  has  a  certain  period  fixed :  for 
when  that  is  once  come,  all  the  past  is  over  and 
gone;  and  in  the  business  of  life,  when  that  is  run 
out,  nothing  remains  to  us  but  what  results  from 
past  good  and  virtuous  actions.  The  hours,  the 
days,  and  months,  and  years,  all  slide  away,  nor 


54  CICERO. 

can  the  past  time  ever  more  return,  or  what  is  to 
follow  be  foreknown.  We  ought  all  to  be  content 
with  the  time  and  portion  assigned  us.  No  man 
expects  of  any  one  actor  on  the  theatre  that  he 
should  perform  all  the  parts  of  the  piece  himself: 
one  rule  only  is  committed  to  him,  and  whatever 
that  be,  if  he  acts  it  well,  he  is  applauded.  In  the 
same  way,  is  not  the  part  of  a  wise  man  to  desire 
to  be  busy  in  these  scenes  to  the  last  plaudit.  A 
short  term  may  be  long  enough  to  live  it  well  and 
honorably. 

Young  (."  Night  Thoughts,"  Night  v.  773)  expresses  the  same 
idea: — 

"  That  life  is  long  which  answers  life's  great  end." 

DEATH. 

No  man  can  be  ignorant  that  he  must  die,  nor  be 
sure  that  he  may  not  this  very  day. 

THE   BEST  CLOSE   OF  LIFE. 

The  best  close  to  life  is  when  the  same  nature, 
which  has  united,  puts  a  period  to  its  work,  while 
the  mind  is  uninjured  and  all  the  other  senses  are 
sound. 

THE   SOUL. 

For  while  we  are  closed  in  these  mortal  frames, 
our  bodies,  we  are  bound  down  to  a  law  of  neces- 
sity, that  obliges  us  with  labor  and  pains  to  at- 
tend to  the  discharge  of  the  several  incumbent  du- 
ties it  requires.  But  our  minds  are  of  a  heavenly 
oi'iginal,  descended  from  the  blissful  seats  above, 
thrust  down  and  immersed  into  these  gross  habi- 
tations of  the  earth,  a  situation  altogether  unsuit- 
able to  a  divine  and  eternal  nature.  But  the  im- 
mortal gods,  I  believe,  thought  tit  to  throw  our  im- 
mortal minds  into  these  human  bodies,  that  the 


C  ICE  UO.  55 

earth  might  be  peopled  with  inhabitants  proper  to 
contemplate  and  admire  the  beauty  and  order  of 
the  heavens,  aid  the  whole  creation;  that  from 
this  great  exemplar  they  might  form  their  conduct 
and  regulate  their  lives,  with  the  like  unerring 
steadiness. 

So  2  Corinthians  v.  8 : — 

"  We  are  confident,  I  say,  and  willing  rather  to  be  absent 
from  the  body,  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord." 

THE  SOUL. 

I  never,  indeed,  could  persuade  myself  that 
souls  confined  in  these  mortal  bodies  can  te  prop- 
erly said  to  live,  and  that,  when  they  leave  them, 
they  die;  or  that  they  lose  all  sense  when  parted 
from  these  vehicles;  but,  on  the  contrary,  when  the 
mind  is  wholly  freed  from  all  corporeal  mixture, 
and  begins  to  be  purified,  and  recover  itself  again; 
then,  and  then  only,  it  becomes  truly  knowing  and 
wise. 

DREAMS   EVINCE   IMMORTALITY  OF   THE   SOUL. 

But  the  soul  in  sleep,  above  all  other  times, 
gives  proofs  of  its  divine  nature;  for  when  free 
and  disengaged  from  the  immediate  service  of  the 
body,  it  has  frequently  a  foresight  of  things  to 
come;  from  whence  we  may  more  clearly  conceive 
what  will  be  its  state  when  entirely  freed  from  this 
bodily  prison. 

LIFE  A   TEMPORARY   LODGING. 

For  I  am  not  at  all  uneasy  that  I  came  into,  and 
have  so  far  passed  my  course  in  this  world ;  be- 
cause I  have  so  live'd  in  it,  that  I  have  reason  to 
believe  I  have  been  of  some  use  to  it;  and  when 
the  close  comes,  I  shall  quit  life  as  I  would  an  inn, 
and  not  as  a  real  home.  For  nature  appears  to  me 


56  CfdERO. 

to  have  ordained  this  station  here  for  us,  as  a  place 
of  sojournmerit,  a  transitory  abode  only,  and  not 
as  a  fixed  settlement  or  permanent  habitation. 

So  Hebrews  xiii.  14:— 

"  For  here  have  we  no  continuing  city,  but  we  seek  one  to 
come." 

This  idea  is  adopted  by  Sir  Philip  Sidney  in  his  "  Arcadia  " 
(10th  ed.  London,  1(555,  p.  14):— 

"  Making  a  perpetual  mansion  of  this  poor  baiting-place  of 
man's  life." 

SOULS   ARE   IMMORTAL. 

But  if  I  should  be  mistaken  in  this  belief,  that 
our  souls  are  immortal,  I  am,  however,  pleased 
and  happy  in  my  mistake;  nor  while  I  live,  shall  it 
ever  be  in  the  power  of  man  to  beat  me  out  of  an 
opinion  that  yields  me  so  solid  a  comfort,  and  so 
durable  a  satisfaction. 


LIFE  NOT   TO-  BE   LIVED   OVER   AGAIN. 

But  if  any  god  were  to  grant  that  at  this  age  I 
should  become  a  child  again  and  cry  in  the  cradle, 
I  should  decidedly  refuse,  nor  should  I  wish  to  be 
recalled  from  the  goal  to  the  starting-post,  as  if  it 
were  a  race-course. 


SOULS   ANNIHILATED  BY   DEATH. 

Nor  am  I  able  to  agree  with  those  who  have  be- 
gun to  affirm  that  the  soul  dies  with  the  body,  and 
that  all  tilings  ;m>  destroyed  by  death.  1  am  more 
inclined  to  be  of  the  opinion  of  those  among  the 
ancients,  who  used  to  maintain  that  the  souls  of 
men  are  divine,  and  when  they  leave  the  body  they 
return  to  heaven,  and  those  who  are  the  most  vir- 
tuous and  upright  have  the  most  speedy  entrance. 


CICERO.  57 

FRIENDSHIP   WITH   RELATIONS. 

Nature  herself  lias  produced  friendship  with  re- 
lations, but  it  is  never  very  stable. 

FRIENDSHIP   A  UNION    OF    FEELING  ON  ALL    SUB- 
JECTS. 

Friendship  only  truly  exists  where  men  harmo- 
nize in  their  views  of  things  human  and  divine,  ac- 
companied with  the  greatest  love  and  esteem ;  I 
know  not  whether,  with  the  exception  of  wisdom, 
the  gods  have  given  us  anything  better. 

Blair  ("The  Grave,"  1.  88):— 

"Friendship:  mysterious  cement  of  the  soul! 
Sweet'ner  of  life,  and  solder  of  society." 

FRIENDSHIP    RENDERS    PROSPERITY    MORE    BRILL- 
IANT. 

Friendship  throws  a  greater  lustre  on  prosper- 
ity, while  it  lightens  adversity  by  sharing  in  its 
griefs  and  anxieties. 

So  Proverbs  xvii.  IT: — 

"  A  friend  loveth  at  all  times,  and  a  brother  is  born  for  ad- 
versity." 

ABSENT    FRIENDS. 

For  in  this  way  we  may  say  that  the  absent  are 
present,  the  needy  have  abundance,  the  weak  are 
in  health,  and,  what  may  seem  absurd,  the  dead 
are  alive. 

This  is  the  idea  in  the  well-known  line: — 

"  Though  lost  to  sight,  to  memory  dear." 

And  in  1  Corinthians  v.  3: — 

"  Absent  in  body,  but  present  in  spirit." 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  502,  M.)  says:— 

"  Lament  your  kinsmen  with  moderation,  for  they  are  not 
dead,  but  have  gone  before  on  the  same  road,  along  which 


58  CICERO. 

we  must  all  necessarily  pass;  then  we,  too,  hereafter,  shall 
come  to  the  same  resting-place,  about  to  spend  the  remain- 
der of  our  time  along  with  them." 

IN   FRIENDSHIP   NOTHING   FALSE. 

In  friendship  we  find  nothing  false  or  insincere; 
everything  is  straightforward,  and  springs  from 
the  heart. 

THAN    FRIENDSHIP    NOTHING    MORE    DELIGHTFUL. 

O  matchless  wisdom,  those  seem  to  take  the 
sun  out  of  the  world  who  remove  friendship  from 
the  pleasures  of  life;  than  which  we  have  received 
nothing  better  or  more  pleasant  from  tie  gods. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Incert.  47)  says: — 

"  There  is  no  better  medicine  for  grief  than  the  advice  of  a 
good  and  honored  friend.  He  who,  in  his  sufferings,  excites 
and  tries  to  soothe  his  mind  by  wine,  though  he  may  have 
pleasure  for  a  moment  has  a  double  portion  of  pain  after- 
wards." 

A  MIND  WELL    REGULATED. 

This,  then,  is  a  proof  of  a  well-trained  mind,  to 
delight  in  what  is  good,  and  to  be  annoyed  at  the 
opposite. 

WHO  CAN  LOVE  HIM  WHOM    HE   FEARS? 

For  who  can  love  either  him  whom  he  fears,  or 
him  by  whom  he  thinks  that  he  is  feared  ? 

THE  RESULTS  OF    PROSPERITY. 

For  not  only  is  Fortune  herself  blind,  but  she 
generally  causes  those  men  to  be  blind  whose  in- 
terests she  has  more  particularly  embraced. 
Therefore  they  are  often  haughty  and  arrogant; 
nor  is  there  anything  more  intolerable  than  a 
prosperous  fool.  And  hence  we  often  see  that 
men,  who  were  at  one  time  affable  and  agreeable. 


CICERO.  59 

are  completely  changed  by  prosperity,  despising 
their  old  friends,  and  clinging  to  new. 
Pope  (Prologue  to  the  Satires,  1.  84)  thus  speaks  of  a  fool:— 
"  No  creature  smarts  so  little  as  a  fool." 

TO   LOVE   AS   IF  ONE   DAY   WE   WERE   TO   HATE. 

He  used  to  maintain  that  there  was  no  maxim 
more  at  variance  with  friendship  than  that  of  the 
man  who  said,  "that  we  ought  always  to  indulge 
in  love  as  if  we  might  one  day  hate.''' 

A  SUBE   FRIEND. 

Ennius  has  Avell  remarked,  "  that  a  real  friend 
is  known  in  adversity." 

TO   HATE  OPENLY. 

Open  and  avowed  hatred  far  more  becomes  a 
man  of  straightforward  character  than  concealing 
our  sentiments  with  a  smooth  brow. 

THE  DUTIES    DUE   TO    FRIENDSHIP. 

It  is  a  common  proverb  that  many  bushels  of 
salt  must  be  eaten  together,  before  the  duties  due 
to  friendship  can  be  fulfilled. 

REMINDING   KINDNESSES. 

That  is  a  detestable  race  of  men  who  are  always 
raking  up  kindnesses  conferred;  he,  who  has  re- 
ceived them,  ought  to  have  them  on  his  memory, 
and  not  the  man  who  has  conferred  them. 

EXCELLENCE   RARE. 

A  kind  of  men,  few  and  far  between  (all  good 
things  are  rare)  for  there  is  nothing  more  difficult 
to  find  than  perfection. 


60  CICERO. 


A   SECOND    SELF. 

Unless  this  idea  be  adopted  in  friendship  a  true 
friend  will  never  be  found ;  for  he  is  like  a  second 
self. 

A  THING    DONE. 

For  this  is  a  preposterous  idea,  and  we  do  over 
that  which  has  been  done,  which  we  are  prohib- 
ited to  do  by  the  ancient  proverb. 

MODESTY   GREATEST   ORNAMENT   OF   FRIENDSHIP. 

He  takes  the  greatest  ornament  from  friendship, 
who  takes  modesty  from  it. 

SOCIETY  NECESSARY. 

If  a  man  could  mount  to  heaven,  and  survey  the 
mighty  universe  with  all  the  planetary  orbs,  his 
admiration  of  their  beauties  would  be  much  di- 
minished, unless  he  had  some  one  to  share  in  his 
pleasure. 

ENEMIES   BETTER  THAN   FRIENDS. 

Bitter  and  unrelenting  enemies  often  deserve 
better  of  us  than  those  friends  whom  we  are  in- 
clined to  regard  as  pleasant  companions;  the 
former  often  tell  us  the  truth,  the  latter  never. 

FLATTERY. 

Let  flattery,  the  handmaid  of  vices,  be  far  re- 
moved from  friendship. 

So  Luke  vi.  26:— 

"  Woe  unto  you  when  all  men  shall  speak  well  of  you !  for 
:o  did  their  fathers  to  the  false  prophets." 

HYPOCRISY. 

The  truth  is  that  few  are  endowed  with  virtue 


CICERO.  61 

in  comparison  with  the  number  of  those  who  wish 
us  to  believe  that  they  possess  it. 

AFFECTION   AND   KINDLY   FEELING. 

When  affection  and  kindly  feeling  are  removed, 
all  cheerfulness  also  is  banished  from  existence. 

AVARICE. 

I  have  never,  by  Hercules,  considered  heaps  of 
money,  magnificent  palaces,  influence  in  the  state, 
military  commands,  nor  any  of  those  pleasures  of 
which  men  are  particularly  fond,  as  things  either 
good  in  themselves  or  to  be  desired;  inasmuch  as 
I  saw  that  those  who  abounded  in  them  still  de- 
sired them  the  most.  The  thirst  of  desire  is 
never  filled  nor  fully  satisfied;  those  who  possess 
such  things  are  tormented  not  only  with  the  wish 
to  increase  them,  but  also  with  the  fear  of  losing 
them. 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  1091  M.)  says:— 
"  Certainly  a  sordid  love  of  money  is  a  most  foolish  thing: 
for  the  mind  being  intent  on  gaining  sees  nothing  else." 

GUILTY   CONSCIENCE. 

Death  is  terrible  to  those  with  whose  life  all 
things  come  to  an  end,  not  to  those  whose  fame 
cannot  die;  but  banishment  is  terrible  to  those 
who  possess,  as  it  were,  a  confined  and  circum- 
scribed abode;  not  to  those  who  consider  the 
whole  habitable  globe  as  one  city.  Miseries  and 
calamities  press  upon  thee  who  thinkest  thyself 
rich  and  increased  with  goods.  Thy  lusts  torture 
thee;  thou  art  tormented  night  and  day;  who 
never  considerest  enough  what  thou  hast,  and 
even  fearest,  lest  that  which  thou  hast  should  not 
continue  with  thee.  The  consciousness  of  thy  evil 
deeds  goads  thee  to  madness;  the  fear  of  judg- 


62  CK'KBO. 

ment  and  of  the  laws  racks  thy  mind;  wherever 
thou  turnest  thy  eyes,  thy  unjust  deeds,  like  fu- 
ries, meet  thee,  and  do  not  suffer  thee  to  breathe. 

THE   UPRIOHT. 

Wlio  therefore  lives  as  he  wishes,  but  the  man 
who  leads  ah  upright  life,  who  rejoices  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  duty,  who  has  considered  well  and 
thoughtfully  the  path  of  life  he  ought  to  pursue? 
who  does  not  submit  to  the  laws  fron>  fear,  but 
pays  respect  and  obedience  to  them  because  he 
considers  that  this  is  the  most  proper  course;  who 
says,  does,  and  thinks  nothing,  in  short,  but  of  his 
owrn  will,  and  freely;  all  whose  plans  and  all 
whose  acts  are  derived  from  and  return  to  himself ; 
nor  is  there  anything  which  lias  more  authority 
with  him  than  his  own  wishes  and  judgment. 
Even  Fortune  herself,  which  is  said  to  have  the 
greatest  power,  gives  way  to  him :  as  the  wise  poet 
has  said — "  A  man's  fortune  has  its  form  given  to 
it  by  his  habits." 

FRUGALITY. 

Ye  immortal  gods !  men  know  not  how  great  a 
revenue  economy  is. 

VIRTUE   NOT  TO  BE  TAKEN  FROM  US. 

For,  if  those  cunning  valuers  of  things  prize 
highly  meadows  and  certain  pieces  of  ground,  be- 
cause such  kind  of  possessions  can  be  but  little 
injured,  at  what  a  rate  ought  viitue  to  be  es- 
teemed, which  can  neither  be  taken  away  nor 
stolen;  nor  can  we  lose  it  by  shipwreck  or  fire; 
nor,  is  it  to  be  changed  by  the  power  of  tempests, 
or  time?  those  who  possess  it  are  alone  rich. 


CICERO.  63 

STATESMEN. 

Be  persuaded  that  there  is  a  certain  separate 
place  in  heaven  for  those  v\  ho  have  preserved, 
aided,  and  ameliorated  their  country,  where  they 
may  enjoy  happiness  to  all  eternity.  For  there  is 
nothing  on  earth  which  gives  more  pleasure  to 
that  Supreme  Being  who  governs  this  world,  than 
the  meetings  and  assemblies  of  men,  bound  to- 
gether by  social  rights,  which  are  called  states; 
the  governors  and  the  preservers  of  these  coming 
thence  return  to  the  same  place. 

So  Hebrews  v.  9: — 

' '  He  became  the  author  of  eternal  salvation  unto  all  them 
that  obey  him." 

THE   SOU!,. 

No  doubt,  replied  Scipio,  those  are  alive  who 
have  broken  loose  from  the  chains  of  the  body  as 
from  a  prison;  it  is  yours  that  is  called  life  that  is 
really  death. 

THE   WOELI)   IS   THE    TEMPLE   OF   GOD. 

Unless  the  God,  whose  temple  the  whole  of  this 
is  which  thou  beholdest,  shall  release  thee  from 
these  bonds  of  the  body,  thou  canst  not  enter 
here. 

SUICIDE  UNLAWFUL. 

Wherefore,  Publiup,  thou  and  all  the  good  musfc 
keep  the  soul  in  the  body,  nor  must  men  leave 
this  life  without  the  pel-mission  of  the  Being  by 
whom  it  has  been  given,  lest  then  shouldst  seem 
to  treat  contemptuously  the  gift  of  life  confened 
on  thee  by  the  Supreme  Being. 

So  Philippians  i.  23: — "For  I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two, 
having  a  desire  to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ;  which  is  far 


64  L'HJEliO. 

better:  nevertheless  to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful  for 
you." 

VIRTUE    OUGHT   TO   ATTRACT   TO   TRUE   GLORY. 

Therefore,  if  thou  wilt  only  turn  thy  eyes  up- 
wards, and  look  to  that  heavenly  abode  and  eternal 
dwelling-place,  thou  wilt  pay  no  regard  to  the 
gossip  of  the  vulgar,  nor  place  thy  hopes  in  the 
rewards  of  men;  virtue  by  its  allurements  must 
attract  thee  to  true  honor;  what  others  say  of  thee 
let  them  see  to  it,  yet  talk  they  will. 

THE   MIND   IS   THE   MAX. 

Do  thou  exert  thyself,  and  believe  that  it  is  not 
thou  but  thy  body  that  is  mortal.  For  thou  art 
not  the  being  whom  this  figure  shows,  but  the 
mind  is  the  man,  and  not  the  figure  which  can  be 
pointed  at  with  the  ringer.  Know  therefore  that 
thou  art  a  divine  being,  since  it  is  a  deity  in  thee 
which  moves,  feels,  remembers,  foresees,  rules, 
and  governs  that  body,  over  which  it  is  placed,  in 
the  very  same  way  as  the  Supreme  Being  governs 
this  world;  and  as  the  Eternal  God  directs  this 
world;  which  is  in  a  certain  degree  mortal,  so  the 
never-dying  spirit  directs  the  frail  body. 

THE    I5KAVE. 

No  man  can  be  brave  who  considers  pain  to  be 
the  greatest  evil  of  life,  nor  temperate  who  con- 
siders pleasure  to  be  the  highest  good. 

THE   OBLIGATIONS   OF   LIFE. 

There  is  no  kind  of  life,  whether  we  are  trans- 
acting public  or  private  affairs,  at  home  or  abroad 
— those  in  which  we  are  alone  concerned  or  with 
others — that  is  free  of  obligations.  In  the  due 


(JICEUO.  66 

discharge  of  these  consists  all  the  dignity,  and  in 
their  neglect  all  the  disgrace,  of  life. 

REASON   AND   INSTINCT. 

Between  man  and  the  lower  animals  there  is 
this  great  distinction,  that  the  latter,  moved  by 
instinct,  look  only  to  the  present  and  what  is  be- 
fore them,  paying  but  little  attention  to  the  past 
or  the  future.  Whereas  man,  from  being  endued 
with  reason,  by  means  of  which  he  sees  before 
and  after  him,  discovers  the  causes  of  events  and 
their  progress,  is  not  ignorant  of  their  antecedents, 
is  able  to  compare  analogies,  and  to  join  the  future 
to  the  present;  he  easily  sees  before  his  mind's 
eye  the  whole  path  of  life,  and  prepares  things 
necessary  for  passing  along  it. 


Thou  seest,  my  son  Marcus,  the  very  form  and 
features,  as  it  were,  of  virtue;  and  could  it  only 
be  beheld  by  our  eyes,  it  would  rouse  in  us  a 
wonderful  love  of  wisdom. 

LEARNING. 

We  are  all  drawn  and  attracted  to  the  desire  of 
knowledge  and  learning,  in  which  we  think  it 
honorable  to  excel;  but  to  make  mistakes  and  to 
be  ignorant,  we  regard  as  base  and  disgraceful. 

THE  EARTH  CHEATED  FOR  THE  VSE  OF  MAX. 

But  seeing  (as  has  been  well  said  by  Plato)  we 
have  not  been  born  for  ourselves  alone,  but  our 
country  claims  one  part  of  us.  our  friends  another, 
and,  as  the  Stoics  declare,  all  the  productions  of 
the  earth  have  been  created  for  the  use  of  men, 
whereas  men  are  born  in  order  that  they  should 
assist  one  another:  in  this  we  ought  to  follow 
5 


06  CICERO. 

nature  as  our  guide,  to  bring  into  the  common 
stock  whatever  is  useful  by  an  interchange  of 
good  offices,  at  one  time  giving,  at  another  receiv- 
ing, to  bind  men  in  union  with  each  other  by  arts, 
by  industry,  and  by  all  the  faculties  of  our  mind. 

So  1  Thessalonians  iv.  9:—"  For  ye  yourselves  are  taught  of 
God  to  love  one  another.'' 

THE  AMBITIOUS. 

In  men  of  the  highest  character  and  noblest 
genius  there  generally  exists  insatiable  desire  of 
honor,  command,  power,  and  glory. 

DO  NOTHING  WHICH  IS  DOUBTFUL. 

Wherefore  wisely  do  those  admonish  us  who 
f  jrbid  us  to  do  anything  of  which  we  may  be  in 
doubt,  whether  it  is  right  or  wrong.  What  is 
right  shines  with  unreflected  lustre,  whereas  hesi- 
tation insinuates  a  suspicion  of  something  wrong. 

THE  FUNDAMENTAL,  PRINCIPLES  OF  JUSTICE. 

The  fundamental  principles  of  justice  are,  in  the 
first  place,  that  no  injury  be  done  to  any  one;  and, 
secondly,  that  it  be  subservient  to  the  public 
good. 

RIG  OK   OF    LAW. 

Hence  "strictness  of  law  is  sometimes  extreme 
injustice  "  has  passed  into  a  trite  proverb. 

JUSTICE   TOWARDS   INFERIORS. 

Let  us  remember  that  justice  must  also  be 
observed  even  to  inferiors. 

TRUE   HONORABLE   DEALING. 

In  honorable  dealing  we  must  consider  what  we 
intended,  not  what  we  said. 


CICERO.  61 

HYPOCRISY. 

In  acts  of  wickedness  there  is  nothing  greater 
than  that  of  those  who,  when  they  deceive,  so 
manage  that  they  seem  to  be  virtuous  aud  upright 
men. 

FALSE   GENEROSITY. 

For  many  men  act  recklessly  and  without  judg- 
ment, conferring  favors  upon  all,  incited  to  it  by  a 
sudden  impetuosity  of  mind:  the  kindnesses  of 
these  men  are  not  to  be  regarded  in  the  same 
light  or  of  the  same  value  as  those  which  are  con- 
ferred with  judgment  and  deliberation.  But  in 
the  conferring  and  requiting  of  a  favor,  if  other 
things  be  equal,  it  is  the  duty  of  a  man  to  assist 
where  it  is  most  required.  The  very  opposite  of 
this  often  takes  place,  for  men  assist  those  from 
whom  they  hope  to  receive  in  return,  even  though 
they  do  not  require  it. 

REASON   AND   SPEECH. 

It  is  reason  and  speech  that  unite  men  to  each 
other;  nor  is  there  anything  else  in  which  we  differ 
so  entirely  from  the  brute  creation. 

MARRIAGE   THE   CLOSEST   BOND   OF   SOCIETY. 

The  first  bond  of  society  is  the  marriage  tie: 
the  next  our  children;  then  the  whole  family  of 
our  house,  and  all  things  in  common. 

So  Genesis  ii.  24  : — 

"  Therefore  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  his  mother, 
and  shall  cleave  unto  his  wife;  and  they  shall  be  one  flesh." 

FATHERLAND. 

But,  when  thou  considerest  everything  carefully 
and  thoughtfully,  of  all  societies,  none  is  of  more 
importance,  none  more  dear  than  that  which 


68  CICERO. 

unites  us  with  the  commonwealth.  Our  parents, 
cli 'Mi-en,  relations,  and  neighbors  are  dear,  but 
our  fatherland  embraces  tlie  whole  round  of  these 
endearments;  in  defence  of  which,  who  would  not 
dare  to  die  if  only  he  could  assist  it  ? 

POPULARITY. 

The  man  who  is  of  the  highest  spirit  and  most 
influenced  by  the  desire  of  glory,  is  most  easily 
excited  to  the  commission  of  injustice.  Such  a 
position  is  indeed  of  a  slippery  character,  for 
there  is  scarcely  to  be  found  a  man  who,  when  he 
has  undertaken  labors  and  undergone  dangers, 
does  not  look  to  glory  as  their  reward. 

POP  U  L  AIUT  Y-HUXTIX  G. 

That  man  is  not  to  be  considered  among  the 
great  who  depends  on  the  errors  of  the  foolish 
multitude. 

KETIKEMENT. 

There  are,  and  have  been,  many  men  who,  de- 
siring that  life  of  tranquillity  which  I  have  been 
describing,  have  retired  from  public  affairs,  and 
devoted  themselves  to  the  pleasures  of  private 
life.  These  have  h?.d  the  same  object  in  view  as 
men  in  high  rank — namely,  that  they  should  stand 
in  need  of  nothing,  be  the  slave  of  no  one,  enjoy 
perfect  liberty;  the  peculiar  characteristic  of 
which  kind  of  life  is,  that  a  man  lives  according 
to  his  own  will  and  pleasure.  Wherefore,  since 
those  desirous  of  power  have  this  in  common  with 
those  lovers  of  retirement  whom  I  have  described, 
the  one  think  they  are  able  to  obtain  it  by  the  pos- 
session of  great  wealth,  and  the  other  by  being 
content  with  their  own  small  competency.  The 
idea  of  neither  of  these  is  to  be  altogether  disrc- 


CICERO.  69 

garcled,  but  the  life  of  the  inactive  is  easier,  safer, 
less  burdensome  and  annoying  to  others,  whereas 
those,  who  devote  themselves  to  public  life  and 
the  management  of  great  affairs,  are  more  advan- 
tageous to  mankind,  and  rise  to  greater  glory  and 
honor. 

TO   DESPISE   RICHES. 

Nothing  is  a  greater  proof  of  a  narrow  and  grov- 
elling disposition  than  to  be  fond  of  riches,  while 
nothing  is  more  noble  and  exalted  than  to  despise 
money,  if  thou  hast  it  not;  and  if  thou  hast  it,  to 
employ  it  in  acts  of  benelicence  and  liberality. 

So  Hebrews  xiii.  16:— 

"But  to  do  good  and  communicate  forget  not:  for  with 
such  sacrifices  God  is  well  pleased." 

IK   ALL  AFFAIRS   THERE   SHOULD   BE   DILLIGENT. 
PREPARATION. 

In  all  affairs  before  thou  undertakest  them,  a 
diligent  preparation  should  be  made. 

WISE   ATDMINTSTRATION. 

An  army  abroad  is  of  little  use  unless  there  is 
prudent  conduct  in  affairs  at  home. 

WAR    ONLY    TO   BE    MADE   TO    SECURE    PEACE. 

Let  war  be  so  carried  on  that  no  other  object 
may  seem  to  be  in  view  except  the  acquisition  of 
peace. 

FORESIGHT. 

Though  the  one  is  a  proof  of  a  high  spirit,  the 
other  is  that  of  a  lofty  intellect  to  anticipate  by 
forethought  coming  events,  and  to  come  to  a  con- 
clusion somewhat  beforehand  what  may  possibly 
happen  in  either  case,  and  what  ought  to  be  done 


70  CICERO. 

in  that  event,  and  not  to  be  obliged  sometimes  to 
say,  "  I  had  never  thought  it."  These  are  the  acts 
of  a  powerful  and  sagacious  mind,  one  who  trusts 
in  his  own  prudence  and  schemes. 

DEATH  TO   BE    PREFERRED    TO   SLAVERY. 

When  time  and  necessity  require  it,  we  should 
resist  with  all  our  might,  and  prefer  death  to 
slavery  and  disgrace. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Archel.  14)  says: — 

"  For  a  few  brave  men  are  better  than  many  cowards." 

And  Euripides  (Fr.  Archel.  28):— 

"  One  thing  only  I  declare  to  you,  that  you  ought  never 
willingly  to  sink  in  life  to  slavery,  when  you  may  die  in  free- 
dom." 

THE   CHARACTER  OF   A  RESOLUTE  MAX. 

It  is  the  character  of  a  brave  and  resolute  man 
not  to  be  ruffled  with  adversity  and  not  to  be 
in  such  confusion  as  to  desert  his  post,  as  we  say, 
but  to  preserve  presence  of  mind  and  the  exercise 
of  reason  without  departing  from  his  purpose. 

So  1  Peter  v.  7:— 

"  Casting  all  your  care  upon  him;  for  he  careth  for  you." 

THE  NOBLE. 

It  is  the  duty  of  a  great  man,  in  a  revolutionary 
age,  to  punish  the  guilty,  to  be  kind  to  the  lower 
orders,  and  in  all  states  of  fortune  to  do  what  is 
straightforward  and  honorable.. 

THE  CONTEMPT   OF   DANGERS. 

We  should  never  by  shunning  dangers  cause 
that  we  should  seem  cowardly  and  timid,  Lut  we 
should  also  avoid  unnecessarily  exposing  ourselves 
to  danger,  than  which  nothing  can  be  more  fool- 
ish. 


CICERO.  71 

MODERATION  WORTHY  OF  A  GREAT  AND  GOOD 

MAN. 

Nothing  is  more  praiseworthy,  nothing  more 
suited  to  a  great  and  illustrious  man  than  placabil- 
ity and  a  merciful  disposition. 

So  Romans  xii.  18:  — 

"  If  it  be  possible,  as  much  as  lieth  in  you,  live  peaceably 
with  all  men." 

PUNISHMENT      TO     BE      PROPORTIONED    TO      THE 

OFFENCE. 

We  must  take  care  that  crimes  be  not  more 
severely  punished  then  they  deserve,  and  that  one 
should  not  be  punished  for  a  fault,  respecting 
which  another  is  not  even  called  in  question. 


ANGER  IN 

Above  all  things  in  punishing  we  must  guard 
against  passion  ;  for  the  man  who  is  in  a  passion 
will  never  observe  the  mean  between  too  much  and 
too  little. 

LET   US   AVOID   PRIDE. 

In  prosperity  let  us  particularly  avoid  pride, 
disdain,  and  arrogance. 

EQUANIMITY   IN    ALL   THINGS. 

It  shows  a  weak  mind  not  to  bear  adversity  and 
prosperity  with  moderation. 

AFFABILITY   IN   HIGH     FORTUNE. 

Rightly  do  those  teach  who  admonish  us  that 
we  should  be  the  more  humble  in  proportion  to 
our  high  rank. 

So  Matthew  xviii.  4:  — 

"Whosoever  therefore  shall  humble  himself  as  this  little 
child,  the  same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 


72  (JKJERO. 

THE   OPINION   OF   THE    WORM). 

To  treat  with  contempt  what  the  world  thinks 
of  us  is  the  maik  not  merely  of  arrogance  but  of  a 
character  utterly  shameless. 

THE  APPETITES  MUST  OBEY  REASON. 

We  must  take  care  that  our  appetites  be  obe- 
dient to  reason,  neither  outrunning  it  nor  lagging 
behind  from  sluggishness  or  langor,  and  that  these 
be  in  a  state  of  tranquillity,  and  free  from  all 
disturbing  influences. 

JOKES. 

The  distinction  between  a  delicate  witticism  and 
alow,  rude  joke  is  very  perceptible;  the  former 
may  be  indulged  in,  if  it  be  seasonable,  and   in 
hours  of  relaxation,  by  a  virtuous  man;  the  latter, 
if  indecent  gestures  and  olscenity  of  language  be 
used,  is  unworthy  even  of  a  human  being. 
Earl  of  Roscommon  ("  Essay  on  Translated  Verse  "):— 
"  Immodest  words  admit  of  no  defence, 
For  want  of  decency  is  want  of  sense." 

A  LIMIT   TO   BE   SET    TO   OUU   AMUSEMENTS. 

There  is  a  certain  limit  to  be  observed  even  in 
our  amusements,  that  we  do  not  abandon  ourselves 
too  much  to  a  life  of  pleasure,  and  carried  away  by 
such  a  life  sink  into  immorality. 

AMUSEMENT   NOT    DISALLOW  ABI,E. 

Sport  and  merriment  are  at  times  allowable ;  but 
we  must  enjoy  them  as  we  do  sleep  and  other  kinds 
of  repose  when  we  have  performed  our  weighty 
and  important  affairs. 

THE   MIND. 

The  mind  of  man  is  improved  by  learning  and 
reflection;  it  is  always  searching  into  or  doing 


L'WERO.  73 

something,  and  is  led  forward  by  the  pleasurable 
enjoyment  of  the  eye  and  the  ear. 

TIIE    UNWILLJNCJ    MINERVA. 

Hence  it  is  the  more  evident  in  what  the  grace- 
ful consists,  on  this  account,  because  there  is 
nothing  becoming  which  goes  against  the  grain 
(as  is  the  proverb) — that  is  to  say,  when  nature  re- 
sists and  opposes. 

A  MAN'S   OWN  MANNERS. 

A  man's  own  manner  and  character  is  what  best 
becomes  him. 

A  PROFESSION. 

We  ought  particularly  to  determine  what  kind 
of  characters  we  wish  to  be,  and  what  is  to  be  the 
course  of  our  life  which  is  a-mattcr  of  great  diffi- 
culty. For  in  early  youth)  when  the  judgment  is 
weak,  every  one  selects  the  kind  of  life  which  he 
prefers ;  therefore  he  is  fixed  in  a  certain  definite 
course  before  he  is  able  to  judge  which  is  best  for 
him. 

FEW  CAN  DECIDE   TIIE   MODE   OF   THEIR   FUTURE 
LIFK. 

The  rarest  class  is  made  up  of  those  who,  either 
from  the  possession  of  exalted  genius,  or  furnished 
with  excellent  education  and  learning,  or  having 
both  have  been  allowed  time  to  make  up  their 
mind  what  course  of  life  they  would  wish  to  em- 
brace. 

VIRTUOUS   EXAMPLE   OF   A   FATHER. 

The  best  inheritance  that  a  father  can  leave  to 
his  children,  and  which  is  superior  to  any  patri- 
mony, is  the  glory  of  his  virtue  and  noble  deeds; 


74  CICERO, 

to  disgrace  which  ought  to  be  regarded  as  base 
and  impious. 

DUTIES   OF   CITIZENS. 

A  private  citizen  ought  to  live  on  terms  of  equal- 
ity with  his  fellow-citizens,  neither  cringing  nor 
subservient,  nor  haughty  nor  insolent;  he  ought 
to  be  favorable  to  measures  in  the  state  which 
lead  to  peace  and  quietness,  for  such  we  consider 
to  be  the  character  of  a  virtuous  and  upright  citi- 
zen. 

AN  ALIEN. 

A  foreigner  and  an  alien  ought  to  attend  to  noth- 
ing but  his  own  business,  never  to  meddle  -with 
the  affairs  of  others,  and  least  of  all  to  pry  into 
the  concerns  of  a  foreign  state. 

OBSERVE  CONSISTENCY  OF  CONDUCT. 

Nothing  is  more  becoming  than  in  all  our  actions 
and  in  all  of  our  deliberations  to  observe  consist- 
ency of  conduct. 

BEAUTY  AND   DIGNITY. 

But,  as  there  are  two  kinds  of  beauty,  in  the  one 
of  which  is  loveliness,  in  the  other  dignity;  we 
ought  to  regard  loveliness  as  the  quality  of  woman, 
dignity  that  of  man.  Therefore,  let  every  orna- 
ment unworthy  of  a  man  be  removed  from  his  per- 
son, and  let  him  guard  against  any  similar  defect 
in  his  gestures  and  movements. 

CLOWNISHNESS   TO   BE   AVOIDED. 

Besides,  we  must  be  neat  in  our  person,  though 
not  over  particular,  and  let  us  shun  boorish  and 
ungentlemanlike  slovenliness.  The  same  princi- 


CICERO.  75 

pies  must  be  applied  to  our  dress,  in  which,  as  in 
most  things,  a  mean  is  to  be  observed. 

CONVERSATION. 

A  conversationalist  must  not  exclude  others 
from  conversation  at  the  dinner-table,  as  if  it  were 
his  own  possession,  but  he  ought  to  regard  mutual 
interchange  of  ideas  to  be  the  rule  in  conversation 
as  in  "other  things. 

BRAGGING. 

It  is  a  silly  thing  to  brag  loudly  of  one's  own  do- 
ings (the  more  so  if  it  be  false),  and  to  imitate  the 
braggadocio-soldier  in  the  play,  telling  falsehoods 
to  the  great  amusement  of  the  company. 

DEGENERACY. 

It  is  a  disgraceful  thing  when  the  passers-by  ex- 
claim, "  O  ancient  house!  alas,  how  unlike  is  thy 
present  master  to  thy  former  lord!" 

A  PALACE. 

A  man's  dignity  should  be  increased  by  his 
house,  and  yet  not  wholly  sought  from  it;  the  mas- 
ter ought  not  to  be  ennobled  by  the  house,  but  the 
house  by  the  master. 

QUICK  TO   SEE  THE   FAULTS  OF  OUR  NEIGHBORS. 

For  it  happens  that  we  are  more  quicksighted  as 
to  the  faults  of  others  than  of  our  own. 

PRUDENCE. 

Prudence  is  the  knowledge  of  things  to  be  sought 
and  to  be  avoided. 


76  CICERO. 

IMPORTANCE   OF   LEGAL   STUDIES. 

Hence  it  may  be  understood  that  the  studies 
and  pursuits  of  literature  ought  to  be  deferred  to 
the  study  of  law,  which  relates  to  the  interests  of 
the  human  race,  than  which  there  ought  to  be 
nothing  more  important  to  man. 

PUBLIC   SPEAKING. 

On  this  account  it  is  more  serviceable  to  the 
public  to  speak  eloquently,  provided  it  is  with 
prudence,  than  to  think  ever  so  accurately,  if  it 
be  destitute  of  eloquence;  for  thought  terminates 
in  itself,  whereas  eloquence  embraces  all  those 
with  whom  we  are  united  in  the  society  of  life. 

THE   LEARNED   TEACH   AFTER   THEIR   DEATH. 

Learned  men  not  only  instruct  and  educate 
those  who  are  desirous  to  learn,  during  their  life, 
and  while  they  are  present  among  us,  but  they 
continue  to  do  the  same  after  death  by  the  monu- 
ments of  their  learning  which  they  leave  behind 
them. 

PIETY  AND  HOLINESS. 

Piety  and  holiness  of  life  will  propitiate  the 
gods. 

So  Micah  vi.  6:— 

"  Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord." 

And  1  Peter  iii.  15:— 

"  Sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your  hearts." 

MAX   THE   CAUSE   OF   MISCHIEF   TO   MAN. 

There  is  no  plague  of  so  fearful  a  character  that 
it  may  not  arise  to  man  from  man. 

FORTUNE. 

Who  does  not  know  the  influence  that  fortune 
exercises  both  upon  our  prosperity  and  adversity? 


CICERO.  77 

For  when  we  sail  with  her  favoring  breeze,  we  are 
carried  forward  to  the  wished-for  port,  and  when 
she  blows  against  us,  we  are  in  distress. 

Sir  Thomas  Browne  ("  Religio  Medici,"  c.  17,  18)  expresses 
the  same  idea  very  beautifully : — 

"All  cannot  be  happy  at  once;  for  because  the  glory  of 
one  state  depends  upon  the  ruin  of  another,  there  is  a  revolu- 
tion and  vicissitude  of  their  greatness  which  must  obey  the 
spring  of  that  wheel  not  proved  by  intelligencies,  but  by  the 
hand  of  God,  whereby  all  estates  rise  to  their  zenith  and  ver- 
tical points,  according  to  their  predestinated  periods.  For 
the  lives  not  only  of  men  but  of  commonweals,  and  the  whole 
world,  run  not  upon  an  helix  that  still  enlargeth,  but  on  a  cir- 
cle, where  arising  to  their  meridian,  they  decline  in  obscurity, 
and  fall  under  the  horizon  again. 

"  These  must  not  therefore  be  named  the  effects  of  fortune, 
but  in  a  relative  way,  and  as  we  term  the  works  of  nature. 
It  was  the  ignorance  of  man's  reason  that  begat  this  very 
name,  and  by  a  careless  term  miscalled  the  providence  of 
God;  for  there  is  no  liberty  for  causes  to  operate  in  a  loose 
and  straggling  way,  nor  any  effect  whatsoever  but  hath  its 
warrant  from  some  universal  or  superior  cause.  'Tis  not  a 
ridiculous  devotion  to  say  a  prayer  before  a  game  at  tables; 
for  even  in  sortileges  and  matters  of  greatest  uncertainty, 
there  is  a  settled  and  pre-ordered  course  of  effects.  It  is  we 
that  are  blind,  not  fortune:  because  our  eye  is  too  dim  to  dis- 
cover the  mystery  of  her  effects,  we  foolishly  paint  her  blind, 
and  hoodwink  the  providence  of  the  Almighty.  I  cannot  just- 
ify that  contemptible  proverb  that  fools  only  are  fortunate ; 
or  that  insolent  paradox,  that  a  wise  man  is  out  of  the  reach 
of  fortune;  much  less  those  opprobrious  epithets  of  poets, 
whore,  bawd,  and  strumpet.  'Tis,  I  confess,  the  common 
fate  of  men  of  singular  gifts  of  mind  to  be  destitute  of  those 
of  fortune;  which  doth  not  any  way  deject  the  spirit  of  wiser 
judgments,  who  thoroughly  understand  the  justice  of  this  pro- 
ceeding, and  being  enriched  with  higher  donatives,  cast  a 
more  careless  eye  on  these  vulgar  parts  of  felicity.  It  is  a 
most  unjust  ambition  to  desire  to  engross  the  mercies  of  the 
Almighty,  nor  to  oe  content  with  the  goods  of  mind  without  a 
possession  of  those  of  body  or  fortune :  and  is  an  error  worse 
than  heresy  to  adore  these  complimental  and  circumstantial 
pieces  of  felicity,  and  undervalue  those  perfections  and  essen- 
tial pouits  of  happiness  wherein  we  resemble  our  Maker." 

Simonides  of  Ceos  (Fr.  36,  S.)  thus  expresses  himself :— 


TS  CICERO. 

"For  the  life  of  man  is  unstable:  having  nothing  certain,  it 
is  moved  here  and  there  by  accidents.  Yet  hope  cheers  the 
mind:  no  one  knows  what  an  hour  may  bring  forth;  God 
rules  all  the  affairs  of  men,  and  often  a  boisterous  storm 
overwhelms  them  in  calamity." 

FEAR. 

Fear  is  a  bad  guardian  of  a  thing  that  requires 
to  last,  while  on  the  other  hand,  affection  is  faith- 
ful to  the  end. 

So  Galatians  iii.  23: — 

'•  But  before  faith  came,  we  were  kept  under  the  law,  shut 
up  unto  the  faith  which  should  afterwards  be  revealed.'' 

PLEASURES. 

Pleasures,  those  alluring  mistresses,  divert  the 
great  majority  of  mankind  from  the  path  of  virtue; 
and  when  the  torch  of  affliction  is  applied  they 
are  terrified  beyond  measure.  All  men  feel 
strongly  life,  death,  riches,  and  poverty.  As  to 
those  who,  with  a  high  and  noble  spirit,  look  on 
such  things  with  an  indifferent  eye,  men,  whom  a 
great  and  lofty  object,  when  it  is  presented,  draws 

and  absorbs  to  itself,  in  such  cases  who  can  re- 

frain  from  admiring  the  splendor  and  beauty  of 
their  high-principled  conduct? 

Euripides  (Fr.  Archel.  10)  says: — 

"  There  is  no  one  who  seeks  to  live  in  pleasure  that  lias 
reached  fame:  man  must  labor." 

INCORRUPTIBILITY. 

Men  particularly  admire  him  who  is  not  to  be 
influenced  by  money;  for  in  whomsoever  they  see 
this  quality  strongly  marked,  they  regard  him  as 
ore  purified  by  fire. 

HTPOCR1SY  AXD  TRUE  POPULARITY. 

Well  did  Socrates  say,  that  this  was  the  nearest 
and  the  shortest  road  to  glory,  when  a  man  acted 


CICERO.  79 

so  that  he  was  such  as  he  wished  to  be  considered. 
Whereas  those  are  greatly  mistaken  who  think 
that  they  can  obtain  permanent  glory  by  hypoc- 
risy, vain  pretence,  and  disguised  words  and  looks. 
True  glory  strikes  its  roots  deep,  and  spreads 
them  on  all  sides;  everything  false  disappears 
quickly,  like  spring  flowers,  nor  can  anything, 
that  is  untrue,  be  of  long  duration. 

So  Proverbs  xix.  5: — 

"  He  that  speaketh  lies  shall  not  escape." 

Also  Acts  v.  Si,  39:— 

"  And  now  I  say  unto  you,  Refrain  from  these  men,  and  let 
them  alone;  for  if  this  counsel  or  this  work  be  of  men,  it  will 
come  to  naught;  but  if  it* be  of  God,  ye  cannot  overthrow  it." 

THE  CHIEF  RECOMMENDATION  OF  A  YOUNG  MAN. 

The  chief  recommendation  of  a  young  man  is 
modesty,  obedience  to  parents,  and  affection  for 
relations. 

CONVERSATION. 

But  yet  it  is  difficult  to  say  how  much  men's 
minds  are  conciliated  by  a  kind  manner  and  affa- 
bility of  speech. 

DUTY   OF    AN   ADVOCATE. 

We  ought  to  consider  it  a  duty  to  defend  the 
guilty,  provided  he  be  not  an  abominable  and  im- 
pious wretch.  Mankind  desire  this,  custom  allows 
it,  and  even  humanity  is  willing  to  tolerate  it. 

TIIE   DUTY    OF   A  JUDGE. 

It  is  the  duty  of  a  judge  in  all  trials  to  follow 

truth. 

• 

IN  WHAT   WAY   GENEKOSITY   IS   TO   BE   SHOWN. 

Our  purse  should  not  be  so  closed  that  our  kind 
feelings  cannot  open  it,  nor  yet  so  unfastened  that 


80  CICERO. 

it  lies  open  to  all.     A  limit  should  be  set,  aud  it 
should  depend  on  our  means. 

So  isaiaa  Iviii.  7:— 

"  Is  it  not  to  deal  thy  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  that  thou 
bring  the  poor  that  are  cost  out  to  thy  house  ?  when  thou  seest 
the  naked,  that  thou  cover  him;  and  that  thou  hide  not  thy- 
self from  thine  own  flesh  ? " 

BOUNTY. 

We  ought  particularly  to  remember  this,  as  it  is 
often  in  the  mouths  of  the  men  of  the  present  day, 
and  has  even  passed  into  a  proverb,  "  That  a 
bountiful  disposition  has  no  bQttom."  For  where 
can  there  be  any  moderation  when  both  those  who 
are  accustomed  to  get  and  others  are  anxious  for 
the  same  thing  ? 

BENEFITS   ILL   BESTOAVED. 

Well  has  Ennius  said,  "  Kindnesses  misplaced 
are  nothing  but  a  curse  and  disservice." 

li  Praise  undeserved  is  satire  in  disguise." 
GRATITUDE. 

Now  it  was  well  said,  whoever  said  it,  "  That 
he,  who  hath  the  loan  of  money  has  not  repaid  it; 
and  he,  who  has  repaid  it,  has  not  the  loan ;  but 
he,  who  has  acknowledged  a  kindness,  has  it  still; 
and  he,  who  has  a  feeling  of  it,  has  requited  it." 

LEVELLING     PRINCIPLE,    NO    MISCHIEF     GREATER. 

He  said  very  unwisely,  "That  there  were  not 
two  thousand  men  of  property  in  the^vhole  state." 
A  speech  well  worthy  of  notice,  and  which  aimed 
at  the  equalizing  of  property,  than  which  there  is 
no  principle  more  pernicious  in  a  state. 


CICERO.  81 


Good  health  is  to  be  secured  by  an  acquaintance 
with  our  constitutions,  and  by  observing  what 
things  benefit  or  injure  us;  by  temperance  in  liv- 
ing, which  tends  to  preserve  the  body;  by  refrain- 
ing from  sensuality;  in  short,  by  employing  the 
skill  of  those  who  have  devoted  themselves  to  the 
study  of  the  human  body. 

LEISURE. 

My  son  Marcus,  Cato  tells  us  that  Publius  Scipio, 
he  who  was  called  Africanus  the  Elder,  used  to 
say  "  that  he  was  never  less  at  leisure  than  when 
he  was  at  leisure,  nor  less  alone  than  when  he  was 
alone."  A  splendid  saying,  and  worthy  of  a 
great  and  wise  man,  which  shows  that  he  used  to 
deliberate  on  affairs  in  his  leisure  hours,  and  to 
converse  with  himself  when  he  was  alone,  so  that 
he  never  was  idle,  and  sometimes  did  not  require 
the  society  of  others.  Therefore  the  two  things 
which  cause  ennui  to  others — namely,  retirement 
and  solitude — roused  him. 

Sir  P.  Sidney  ("  Arcadia,"  b.  i.)  expresses  the  same  idea: — 
"  They  are  never  alone  that  are  accompanied  by  noble 
thoughts." 

DO  GOOD  UNTO   ALL  MEN. 

It  is  more  in  accordance  with  nature  to  under- 
go the  greatest  labors  and  annoyances,  for  the 
sake,  if  it  were  possible,  of  preserving  or  assist- 
ing all  nations. 

EVEKY   OXE   SHOULD   BEAK   HIS   OWN   BURDEN. 

Every  one  should  bear  his  own  burden  rather 
than  abridge  the  comforts  of  others. 
6 


82  CICERO. 

THE  ABANDONMENT  OF  THE  COMMON  GOOD. 

The  desertion  of  the  common  intei-est  is  con- 
trary to  nature. 

NOTHING   EXPEDIENT   AVIIICH   IS   NOT    ALSO   VIRTU- 
OUS. 

He  often  assures  us  that  there  is  nothing  expe- 
dient which  is  not  also  honorable,  nothing  honor- 
able which  is  not  also  expedient;  and  he  main- 
tains that  there  is  no  greater  injury  done  to  men 
than  by  those  who  try  to  separate  them. 

GUILT  IN   THE   HESITATION   OF   A   WICKED   ACT. 

Wickedness  resides  in  the  very  hesitation  about 
an  act,  even  though  it  be  not  perpetrated. 

THE   TRUE    WAY  OF    LIFE. 

He  who  runs  in  a  racecourse  ought  to  exert  him- 
self as  much  as  he  can  to  conquer,  but  ought  by 
no  means  to  trip  up,  or  throw  down  the  man  with 
whom  he  is  contending;  so  in  the  affairs  of  life 
there  is  nothing  wrong  in  a  man  trying  to  obtain 
what  may  be  for  his  advantage,  yet  roguery  is  un- 
lawful. 

THE  BUYER  AND   SELLER. 

Everything  should  be  disclosed,  that  the  buyer 
may  be  ignorant  of  nothing  which  the  seller  knows. 

IGNORANCE  OF  ANOTHER  NOT  TO  BE  PREYED  ON. 

No  one  should  act  so  as  to  take  advantage  of 
the  ignorance  of  his  neighbor. 

MAN   OF   INTEGRITY. 

For  when  they  praise  the  faith,  the  honor,  the 
goodness  of  a  man,  they  say,  "  He  is  one  with 
whom  we  may  play  at  odd  and  even  in  the  dark." 


CICERO.  83 

PEKJUKY. 

For  to  swear  falsely  is  not  at  all  times  to  be  ac- 
counted perjury,  but  not  to  perform  that  which 
you  have  sworn  according  to  the  intentions  of 
your  mind — "  ex  animi  tui  sententia,"  as  our  law 
books  have  it — is  perjury. 

PEBJUKY. 

I  have  sworn  with  my  tongue,  but  I  have  a 
mind  unsworn. 

IPSE  DIXIT. 

Nor  am  I  accustomed  to  approve  of  that  which 
we  have  heard  about  the  Pythagoreans,  who  they 
say  used  to  answer,  when  they  made  an  assertion 
in  discussing  a  subject,  if  they  were  asked  why 
it  was  so,  "He  himself  has  said  it."  Now  this 
"he"  was  Pythagoras. 

ALL  NATIONS   HAVE   AN   IDEA  OF  A  GOD. 

Nature  herself  has  imprinted  on  the  minds  of  all 
the  idea  of  a  God.  For  what  nation  or  race  of 
men  is  there  that  has  not,  even  without  being 
taught,  some  idea  of  a  God  ? 

So  Acts  xvii.  23: — 

"Whorf  therefore  ye  ignorantly  worship,  him  declare  I 
unto  you." 

GOD  IS   ETERNAL. 

For  the  same  nature,  which  has  given  to  us  a 
knowledge  of  the  gods,  has  imprinted  on  pur 
minds  that  they  are  eternal  and  happy. 

THE   HAPPINESS   OF  LIFE. 

We  place  a  happy  life  in  tranquillity  of  mind. 


84  CICERO. 

GOD   KNOWS   ALL  THINGS. 

Who  should  not  fear  God,  who  foresees,  con- 
siders, and  perceives  all  things  ? 

THE  ETERNITY   OF   GOD. 

For  the  gods  have  always  been,  and  never  were 
born. 

AN  APE. 
How  like  to  us  is  that  filthy  beast  the  ape ! 

SUPERSTITION   AND   TRUE   RELIGION    CONTRASTED. 

Superstition  is  a  senseless  fear  of  God,  religion 
the  pious  worship  of  God. 

TIME   DESTROYS   THE    ERRONEOUS   OPINIONS    OF 

MEN. 

Time  destroys  the  groundless  conceits  of  man, 
but  confirms  that  which  is  founded  on  nature  and 
reality. 

Byronsays:— 

li  But  time  strips  our  illusions  of  the  soul, 
And  one  by  one  in  turn  some  grand  mistake 
Casts  off  its  bright  skin  yearly  like  a  snake." 

ALL  THE   SICK   ARE   NOT  CURED. 

Because  all  the  sick  do  not  recover,  therefore 
medicine  is  no  art. 

ART. 

It  is  above  all  the  property  of  art  to  create  and 
bring  into  being. 

HOW   GOD   IS   TO   BE  WORSHIPPED. 

The  best,  the  purest,  the  most  holy  worship  of 
the  gods,  and  that  which  is  most  consistent  with 


CICERO.  85 

our  duty,  is  to  worship  them  always  with  purity 
and  sincerity  of  words  and  thoughts;  for  not  only 
philosophers,  but  even  our  ancestors  have  drawn 
a  distinction  between  superstition  and  religion. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Antig.  38)  says:— 

"  There  are  three  virtues,  ray  child,  which  you  ought  to 
observe,  to  honor  the  gods,  reverence  your  parents,  and  re- 
spect the  common  laws  of  Greece;  and  doing  so,  you  will 
always  have  the  fairest  crown  of  glory." 

So  John  iv.  %i: — 

"  God  is  a  Spirit:  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship 
him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

Epictetus  (i.  16)  thus  exhorts  man  to  the  praise  of  God: — 

"  Are  these  the  only  works  of  Providence  with  regard  to  us? 
And  what  speech  can  fitly  celebrate  their  praise?  For,  if  we 
had  any  understanding,  ought  we  not,  both  in  public  and  in 
private,  incessantly  to  sing  and  praise  the  Deity  and  rehearse 
his  benefits  ?  Ought  we  not.  whether  we  dig,  or  plough,  or 
eat,  to  sing  this  hymn  to  God,  'Great  is  God,  who  has  sup- 
plied us  with  these  instruments  to  till  the  ground;  great  is 
God  who  has  given  us  hands  and  organs  of  digestion;  who 
has  given  us  to  grow  insensibly,  to  breathe  in  sleep  '  ?  These 
tilings  ought  we  ever  to  celebrate ;  but  to  make  it  the  theme 
of  the  greatest  and  divinest  hymn,  that  he  has  given  us  the 
power  to  appreciate  these  gifts  and  to  use  them  well.  But 
because  some  of  you  are  blind  and  insensible,  there  must  be 
some  one  to  fill  this  station  and  lead,  in  behalf  of  all  men, 
the  hymn  to  God;  for  what  else  can  I  do,  a  lame  old  man,  but 
sing  hymns  to  God  ?  Were  I  a  nightingale,  I  would  act  the 
part  of  a  nightingale ;  were  I  a  swan,  I  would  act  the  part  of 
a  swan.  But  since  I  am  a  reasonable  creature,  it  is  my  duty 
to  praise  God.  This  is  my  business,  I  do  it.  Nor  will  I  ever 
desert  this  post  so  long  as  it  is  permitted  me,  and  I  call  on 
you  to  join  in  the  same  song." 

GOD.  ^ 

Nothing  is  superior  to  God;  he  must  therefore 
govern  the  world.  God  is  subject  to  no  principle 
of  nature,  therefore  he  rules  the  whole  of  nature. 

NATURE   fcETTEK   THAN   AKT. 

Those  things  are  better  which  are  perfected  by 


86  CICERO. 

nature  than  those  things  which  are  finished  by 
art. 

THE  WORLD  WILL  BE  BUKNT  UP. 

From  which  some  philosophers  think  that  that 
will  happen  which  Panretius  doubts,  that  the 
whole  world  will  at  last  be  burnt  up. 

So  2  Peter  iii.  7:  - 

"  But  the  heavens  and  the  earth  which  are  now,  by  the 
same  word  are  kept  in  store,  reserved  unto  fire  against  the 
day  of  judgment  and  perdition  of  ungodly  men." 

MEN   NOT   SIMPLY   INHABITANTS    OF   THE    EAKTU. 

God  has  made  men,  springing  from  the  ground, 
tall  and  upright,  that,  with  eyes  looking  to  heaven, 
they  might  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  Divine  Be- 
ing. For  men  are  not  to  consider  themselves  as 
mere  dwellers  on  earth,  but  as  it  were  placed  there 
to  gaze  on  the  heavens  and  heavenly  bodies,  which 
is  the  privilege  of  no  other  animated  creature. 

THE  EYES  PLACED  LIKE   SENTINELS. 

The  eyes,  like  sentinels,  occupy  the  highest 
place  in  the  body. 

ELOQUENCE. 

How  noble  and  divine  is  eloquence !  the  mistress 
of  all  things,  as  you  are  accustomed  to  say. 
Which,  in  the  first  place,  enables  us  to  learn  those 
things  of  which  we  are  ignorant,  and  to  teach 
others  those  things  which  we  know;  by  this  we 
exhort;  by  this  we  persuade;  by  this  AVC  console 
the  afflicted ;  by  this  we  dissipate  the  fears  of  the 
timid ;  by  this  we  restrain  the  eager;  by  this  we 
put  an  end  to  passions  and  desires;  it  is  this  that 
has  bound  mankind  by  the  community  of  privi- 
leges, of  laws,  and  civil  society;  this  it  is  which 


CICERO.  87 

has  removed  us  far  from  the  ills  of  a  savage  and 
barbarous  life. 

MAN. 

Everything  that  the  earth  produces  belongs  to 
man:  we  enjoy  the  fields  and  the  mountains;  ours 
are  the  rivers  and  the  lakes;  we  sow  corn  and 
plant  trees;  we  give  fruitfulness  to  the  earth  by 
irrigating  the  ground ;  we  confine,  direct,  and  turn 
the  course  of  rivers;  in  short,  by  our  proceedings 
we  endeavor  to  form,  as  it  were,  a  second  nature. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Aiol.  25)  says:— 

"  Man's  strength  lasts  only  a  short  time;  yet  by  his  cunning 
devices  he  brings  under  him  the  various  tribes  of  the  sea, 
earth,  and  air." 

INSPIRATION, 

No  man  was  ever  great  without  divine  inspiration. 

So  Daniel  ii.  21 : — 

"  He  giveth  wisdom  unto  the  wise,  and  knowledge  to  them 
that  know  understanding." 

And  Matthew  x.  20:— 

"  For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father 
which  speaketh  in  you." 

REASONING   OFTEN   DARKENS   MATTERS. 

The  clearest  subjects  are  often  obscured  by 
lengthened  reasoning. 

BEST  NOT  TO  KNOW  THE  FUTURE. 

Often  it  is  disadvantageous  to  know  what  is  to 
happen ;  for  it  is  wretched  to  be  grieved  without 
the  power  of  changing  events. 

THE   EXPERIENCED. 

I  call  thosi3  experienced  whose  minds  are 
strengthened  by  knowledge,  as  the  hands  are 
hardened  by  labor. 


88 


JUSTICE. 

Justice  renders  to  every  one  his  due. 

MALICE. 

Malice  is  a  subtle  and  deceitful  engine  to  work 
mischief. 

VIRTUE. 

No  one  lias  ever  acknowledged  having  received 
virtue  from  a  god. 

EVERY  POET   MAD. 

Democritus  maintains  that  there  can  be  no  great 
poet  without  a  spice  of  madness. 

CAREFUL,  OBSERVATION'. 

A  long  course  of  careful  observations,  conducted 
for  a  length  of  time,  brings  with  it  an  incredible 
accuracy  of  knowledge. 

"COMING   EVENTS  CAST  THEIR  SHADOWS  BEFOBE." 

Certain  signs  precede  certain  events. 

Coleridge  says:  — 

"  Often  do  the  spirits 
Of  great  men  stride  on  before  the  events, 
And  in  to-day  already  walks  to-morrow." 

PREDESTINATION. 

Since  this  is  so,  nothing  has  ever  happened 
which  has  not  been  predestinated,  and  in  the  same 
way  nothing  will  ever  occur,  the  predisposing 
causes  for  which  may  not  be  found  in  nature. 

IMPOSTORS. 

In  short,  I  care  nothing  for  the  Marsian  augurs, 
nor  the  village  haruspices,  nor  strolling  astrolo- 


C1CE110.  80 

gers,  nor  for  the  gypsy  priests  of  Isis,  nor  for  the 
interpreters  of  dreams;  for  these  possess  neither 
science  nor  art,  but  are  superstitious  priests  and 
impudent  impostors.  They  are  either  lazy  or 
mad,  or  act  to  gain  a  livelihood;  knowing  not  the 
right  path  themselves,  they  pretend  to  show  it  to 
others,  promising  riches  to  gain  a  penny. 

TEACHERS. 

What  nobler  employment,  or  more  advanta- 
geous to  the  state,  than  that  of  the  man  who  in- 
structs the  rising  generation ! 

A  WISE  PROPHET. 

The  best  guesser  I  shall  always  call  the  most 
sagacious  prophet. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Incert.  85)  says:— 

"  He  is  the  best  prophet  who  is  the  best  guesser." 

And  Theocritus  (Idyl.  xxi.  32)  says:— 

"  lie  is  the  best  diviner  of  dreams  who  is  taught  by  his  un- 
derstanding." 

KNOWLEDGE    OF    FUTURITY. 

For  my  own  part,  I  can  never  believe  that  a 
knowledge  of  future  events  would  be  of  advantage 
to  us;  for  what  a  miserable  life  Priam  would  have 
led,  had  he  known  the  occurrences  that  were  to 
befall  him  in  his  old  age ! 

STAR-GAZING. 

Nobody  looks  at  what  is  immediately  before 
them ;  we  are  all  employed  jn  gazing  at  the  stars. 

IT   IS   WELL,   TO   OI5SERVE   TIIE   FACTS    OF   NATURE. 

Though  it  be  impossible  to  discover  the  occult 
causes  of  natural  phenomena,  still  it  is  well  to  ob- 
serve and  animadvert  upon  the  facts  themselves. 


90  CICEEO. 

EXTRAORDINARY  EVENTS. 

In  extraordinary  events  ignorance  of  their 
causes  produces  astonishment. 

ONE  IS  NOT  SURPRISED   AT  WHAT   HAPPENS  OFTEX. 

A  man  is  not  surprised  at  what  he  sees  fre- 
quently, even  though  he  be  ignorant  of  the  reason; 
whereas  if  that  which  he  never  beheld  before  hap- 
pens, then  he  calls  it  a  prodigy. 

CIIANGEABLENESS    OF    FORTUNE. 

No  one  will  separate  fortune  from  inconstancy 
and  rashness. 

HOW  SUPERSTITIOUS  FEAR  IS  TO  BE  DRIVEN  AWAY. 

Drive  away  by  the  principles  of  nature  that  ter- 
ror which  may  have  been  caused  by  the  strange- 
ness of  the  event. 

THERE  ARE  NO   PRODIGIES. 

Nothing  can  be  done  without  a  cause,  nor  has 
anything  been  done  which  cannot  again  be  done. 
Nor,  if  that  has  been  done  which  could  be  done, 
ought  it  to  be  regarded  as  a  prodigy.  There  are, 
therefore,  no  prodigies. 

GOD   IS    OMNIPOTENT. 

There  is  nothing  which  God  cannot  accomplish. 

GOD   KNOWS   THE   CHARACTER   OF   MAN. 

God  cannot  be  ignorant  of  the  character  of  man. 
So  Psalm  xciv.  11 :  — 

"The  Lord  knoweth  the  thoughts  of  man.  that  they  are  van- 
ity." 

GOD   KNOWN   BY  HIS  WORKS. 

The  beauty  of  the  world  and  the  orderly  ar- 


CICERO.  91 

rangement  of  everything  celestial  makes  us  con- 
fess that  there  is  an  excellent  and  eternal  nature, 
which  ought  to  be  worshipped  and  admired  by  all 
mankind. 

So  Psalm  cii.  S5-37:— 

"  Of  old  hast  thou  laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth:  and  the 
heavens  are  the  work  of  thy  hands.  They  shall  perish,  but 
thou  shalt  endure:  yea,  all  of  them  shall  wax  old  like  a  gar- 
ment; as  a  vesture  shalt  thou  change  them,  and  they  shall 
be  changed:  but  thou  art  the  same,  and  thy  years  shall  have 
no  end." 

RELIGION   AND    SUPERSTITION. 

Religion  is  not  removed  by  removing  superstition. 

MAN  PRESCIENT  AND  SAGACIOUS. 

This  provident,  sagacious,  versatile,  subtile, 
thoughtful,  rational,  wise  animal,  which  we  call 
man,  has  been  created  by  the  supreme  God  with  a 
certain  noble  privilege;  for  he  alone  of  so  many 
different  kinds  and  sorts  of  animals  is  partaker  of 
reason  and  reflection,  when  all  others  are  destitute 
of  them.  But  what  is  there,  I  will  not  say  in  man, 
but  in  all  heaven  and  earth,  more  divine  than  rea- 
son? which,  when  it  has  arrived  at  maturity,  is 
properly  termed  wisdom. 

So  John  i.  13:— 

"Which  were  born  of  God." 

NO  NATION  SO  SAVAGE  THAT  DOES  NOT  ACKNOWL- 
EDGE GOD. 

Therefore,  of  all  kinds  of  animals  there  is  none 
except  man  that  has  knowledge  of  a  God;  among 
men  there  is  not  a  nation  so  savage  and  brutish 
which,  though  it  may  not  know  what  kind  of  a 
being  God  ought  to  he,  does  not  know  that  there 
must  be  one.  From  this  we  may  infer  that,  who- 


92  CICERO. 

ever,  as  it  were,  recollects  and  knows  whence  he 
is  sprung,  acknowledges  the  existence  of  a  God. 

NATUKE    TEACHES    MAX    TO    LOOK   UPWAKI). 

Nature  has  bestowed  on  man  alone  an  erect  stat- 
ure and  raised  his  thoughts  to  the  contemplation 
of  heaven,  as  if  it  were  connected  with  him  by  re- 
lationship and  his  ancient  home. 

EVIL    HABITS. 

There  is  in  fact  such  corruption  engendered  in 
man  by  bad  habits,  that  the  sparks,  as  it  were,  of 
virtue,  furnished  by  nature,  are  extinguished,  and 
vices  of  an  opposite  kind  arise  around  and  become 
strengthened. 

So  Romans  xvi.  18: — 

"They  by  good  words  and  fair  speeches  deceive  the  hwirts 
of  the  simple." 

THOU   SHALT   LOVE   THY   NEIGHBOR. 

Let  man  love  himself  not  more  than  his 
neighbor. 

So  Matthew  v.  43:— 
"  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor." 
And  John  xiii.  31-— 

"A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  That  ye  love  one 
another;  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another." 

IIKMOKSE    OF     COXSCIEXCK. 

The  furies  pursue  men,  not  with  burning 
torches,  as  the  poets  feign,  but  with  remorse  of 
conscience  and  the  tortures  arising  from  guilt. 

So  Job  xv.  24,  25:— 

"  Trouble  and  anguish  shall  make  him  afraid,  ...  for  he 
stretcheth  out  his  hand  against  God." 

JUSTICE. 

Justice  is  obedience  to  the  written  laws. 


CICERO.  93 

INSPIRATION   OF   MAN. 

For  whoever  is  acquainted  with  his  own  mind, 
will,  in  the  first  place,  feel  that  he  lias  a  divine 
principle  within  him,  and  will  regard  his  rational 
faculties  as  something  sacred  and  holy;  he  will 
always  both  think  and  act  in  a  way  worthy  of  so 
great  a  gift  of  the  gods;  and  when  he  shall  have 
proved  and  thoroughly  examined  himself,  he  will 
perceive  how  well  furnished  by  nature  he  has 
come  into  life,  and  what  noble  instruments  he 
possesses  to  obtain  and  secure  wisdom. 

THE   SPOTS   WHERE   OUR   FRIENDS   HAVE   BEEN. 

We  are  moved,  I  know  not  how,  by  the  spots  in 
which  we  find  traces  of  those  who  possess  our 
esteem  and  admiration. 

BEGIN   WITH   A  PRAYER   TO   GOD. 

We  must  begin  our  acts  with  a  prayer  to  the 
immortal  gods. 

LAW. 

I  see,  therefore,  that  this  has  been  the  idea  of 
the  wisest,  that  law  has  not  been  devised  by  the 
ingenuity  of  man,  nor  yet  is  it  a  mere  decree  of 
the  people,  but  an  eternal  principle  which  must 
direct  the  whole  universe,  ordering  and  forbidding 
everything  with  entire  wisdom.  Thus  they  used 
to  say  that  the  mind  of  the  divinity  was  the  real 
and  ultimate  law  which  orders  or  forbids  every- 
thing justly;  hence  that  law  which  the  gods  have 
assigned  to  mankind  is  justly  deserving  praise, 
for  it  is  the  reason  and  mind  of  a  wise  being  well 
fitted  to  order  or  forbid. 

Tliis  idea  is  beautifully  expressed  by  Hooker  ('•  Ecclesiast- 
ical Polity,"  book  i.):— 
"  Of  law  there  can  be  no  less  acknowledged,  than  that  her 


94  CICERO. 

seat  is  the  bosom  of  God,  her  voice  the  harmony  of  the 
world;  all  things  in  heaven  and  earth  do  her  homage,  the 
very  least  as  feeling  her  care,  and  the  greatest  as  not 
exempted  from  her  power." 


For  it  was  reason,  derived  from  the  nature  of 
things,  impelling  man  to  what  is  right,  and 
deterring  him  from  what  is  wrong,  which  does  not 
then  begin  to  he  law,  when  it  is  found  written 
down  in  books,  but  was  so  from  the  first  moment 
of  its  existence.  It  was  co-eternal  with  the  divine 
mind,  wherefore  true  and  ultimate  law  fitted  to 
order  and  to  forbid  is  the  mind  of  the  Supreme 
Being. 

Coke  ("Institute,"  b.  i.  fol.  970)  says:— 

•'  Reason  is  the  life  of  the  law ;  nay,  the  common  law  itself 
is  nothing  else  but  reason.  .  .  .  The  law,  which  is  the  per- 
fection of  reason.'' 

LAW. 

Law,  therefore,  is  what  distinguishes  right  and 
wrong,  derived  from  nature  herself  the  most 
ancient  principle  of  all  things,  to  which  the  laws 
of  men  direct  themselves,  when  they  impose  pen- 
alties on  the  wicked,  and  protect  and  defend  the 
good. 

Sir  \V.  Jones  ("  Ode  in  Imitation  of  Alcseus  "): 
"  Sovereign  law— that  state's  collected  will, 
O'er  thrones  and  globes  elate, 
Sits  empress,  crowning  good,  repressing  ill. 

GOD   KXOWS    MAN. 

The  gods  know  what  sort  of  a  person  every  one 
really  is;  they  take  notice  with  what  feelings  and 
with  what  piety  he  attends  to  his  religious  duties, 
and  are  sure  to  make  a  distinction  between  the 
good  and  the  wicked. 


CICEltO.  95 

So  Psalm  v.  4-6  :-— 

"  For  thou  art  not  a  God  that  hath  pleasure  in  wickedness: 
neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  thee.  The  foolish  shall  not 
stand  in  thy  sight:  thou  hatest  all  workers  of  iniquity.  Thou 
shalt  destroy  them  that  speak  leasing:  the  Lord  will  abhor 
the  bloody  and  deceitful  man." 

STAINS    OF    THE    CONSCIENCE    CANNOT    BE 
OBLITERATED. 

The  stains  that  effect  the  mind  cannot  be  got  rid 
of  by  time,  nor  yet  can  the  multitudinous  waters 
of  the  sea  wash  them  away. 

RELIGIOUS   FEELINGS. 

That  is  a  noble  sentence  of  Pythagoras — "  That 
then  chiefly  do  piety  and  religion  flourish  in  our 
souls,  when  we  are  occupied  in  divine  services." 

GOD   IS   NOT  TO    BE    PROPITIATED   BY   THE   GIFTS 
OF    THE   WICKED. 

Let  the  impious  listen  to  Plato,  that  they  may 
not  dare  to  propitiate  the  gods  with  gifts,  for  he 
forbids  us  to  doubt  what  feelings  God  must  enter- 
tain towards  such,  whenever  a  good  man  is  un- 
willing to  accept  gifts  from  the  wicked. 

AN  ART  IN   TEACHING. 

For  not  only  is  art  shown  in  knowing  a  thing, 
but  there  is  also  a  certain  art  in  teaching  it. 

THE   MAGISTRATE   A   SPEAKING   LAW. 

It  may  be  truly  said  that  the  magistrate  is  a 
speaking  law,  and  the  law  is  a  silent  magistrate. 

MAGISTRATES   ARE   NECESSARY. 

A  state  cannot  exist  without  the  foresight  and 
diligence  of  magistrates. 


96  CICERO. 

So  1  Peter  ii.  13, 14:— 

"  Submit  yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  the 
Lord's  sake:  whether  it  be  to  the  king,  as  supreme;  or  unto 
governors,  as  unto  them  that  are  sent  by  him  for  the  punish- 
ment of  evil-doers,  and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well." 

OBEDIENCE. 

He  who  obeys  with  modesty,  appears  worthy  of 
some  day  or  other  being  allowed  to  command. 

So  Ephesians  vi.  5,  0:— 

"Servants  be  obedient  to  them  that  are  your  masters 
according  to  the  flesh,  with  fear  and  trembling,  in  singleness 
of  your  heart,  as  unto  Christ:  not  with  eye-service,  as  men- 
pleasers;  but  as  the  servants  of  Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God 
from  the  heart." 


SAFETY  OF  THE  PEOPLE  IS  THE  SUPREME  LAW. 

Let  the  safety  of  the  people  be  the  supreme  law. 

SONGS   ABLE  TO  CHANGE  THE  FEELINGS  OF  A 
NATION. 

This  observation  is  much  more  certain  than 
that  of  Plato,  who  pretends  that  a  change  in  the 
songs  of  musicians  is  able  to  change  the  feelings 
and  conditions  of  a  state. 

This  is  very  much  the  idea  of  Andrew  Fletcher  of  Saltoun  :— 
"  I  knew  a  very  wise  man  that  believed  that,  if  a  man  were 

permitted  to  make  all  the  ballads,  he  need  not  care  who 

should  make  the  laws  of  a  nation." 

MEN  ARE  IMITATORS  OF  THOSE  ABOVE  THEM. 

Thou  mayst  plainly  see  that  such  as  the  chief 
men  of  the  state  have  been,  such  also  has  been  the 
character  of  the  state;  and  whatever  change  of 
manners  took  place  in  the  former,  the  same  always 
followed  in  the  latter. 


CICERO.  97 

CICERO   OPPOSED   TO    BALLOT. 

For  I  am  of  the  same  opinion  as  you  have  always 
been,  that  open  "  viva  voce"  voting  is  the  best 
method  at  elections. 

BALLOT   A   COVER   FOR   CORRUPT   VOTES. 

Wherefore  the  powerful  ought  rather  to  have 
been  deprived  of  their  power  of  influencing  votes 
for  bad  purposes,  than  that  the  ballot  should  have 
been  conferred  on  the  people,  whereby  corrupt 
votes  are  concealed,  virtuous  citizens  being  left  in 
the  dark  as  to  the  sentiments  of  each.  Wherefore 
no  good  man  has  ever  been  found  to  bring  forward 
or  propose  such  a  law. 

BREVITY   THE"    SOUL   OF   A   SPEECH. 

For  brevity  is  the  best  recommendation  of  a 
speech,  not  only  in  the  case  of  a  senator,  but  in 
that,  too,  of  an  orator. 

So  Shakespeare  ("  Hamlet,"  act  ii.  sc.  2):— 
"  Brevity  is  the  soul  of  wit." 

MEMORY. 

Memory  is  the  treasury  and  guardian  of  all 
things. 

POWER   OF    ELOQUENCE. 

Nothing  appears  to  me  to  be  nobler  than  to  keep 
assemblies  of  men  entranced  by  the  charms  of 
eloquence,  wielding  their  minds  at  will,  impelling 
them  at  one  time,  and  at  another  dissuading  them 
from  their  previous  intentions. 

NOTHING   MORE    NOBLE   THAN   TO   ASSIST   THE 
WRETCHED. 

What  is  there  so  kinglike,  so  noble,  so  generous, 

7 


98  CICEliO. 

as  to  bring  aid  to  the  suppliant,  to  raise  up  the 
broken  in  heart,  to  save  and  deliver  from  dangers  ? 

So  Psalm  Ixxii.  12:— 

"  For  he  shall  deliver  the  needy  when  he  crieth;  the  poor 
also,  and  him  that  hath  no  helper." 

RHETORICIANS  WITH  VOLUBLE  TONGUES. 

Mnesarclius  used  to  say  that  those  whom  we 
called  orators,  were  nothing  else  but  artisans  with 
voluble  and  well-trained  tongues,  but  that  no  one 
was  an  orator  unless  he  was  wise. 

THE   LAWYERS. 

The  house  of  the  lawyer  is,  no  doubt,  the  oracle 
of  the  whole  state. 

THE  GOOD. 

Socrates  used  to  say  that  to  those  who  were  con- 
vinced that  they  should  prefer  nothing  so  much  as 
to  be  good  men,  every  other  kind  of  learning  was 
easy. 

USE   THE   GIFT  OF  THE   SPIRIT. 

Be  unwilling  to  allow  iis  to  be  the  slave  of  only 
one,  but  rather  of  you  all  in  whatever  we  can  and 
ought 

Sol  Peter iv.  10:— 

"  As  every  man  hath  received  the  grift,  even  so  minister  the 
same  one  to  another,  as  good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace 
of  God." 

THE    SMALLEST    PLEASURE. 

Many  prefer  the  smallest  pleasure  to  the  most 
important  advantage. 

ELOQUENCE    FLOURISHES   IN  A   FREE   STATE. 

The  practice  of  public  speaking  flourishes  in 
every  peaceful  and  free  state. 


CICERO.  99 


History  is  the  witness  of  the  times,  the  torch  of 
truth,  the  life  of  memory,  the  teacher  of  life,  the 
messenger  of  antiquity. 

THE   PRIMARY   LAW   OF   HISTOKY. 

Who  does  not  know  that  the  primary  law  of 
history  is  that  it  should  not  dare  to  say  anything 
false,  next  that  it  should  dare  to  state  the  truth, 
that  there  should  be  no  suspicion  of  favor  nor  yet 
of  hatred  in  its  words? 

PEECOCITY. 

There  cannot  be  long  continued  sap  in  that 
which  has  too  quickly  acquired  maturity. 

THE  RESULT   OF   DULNKSS    OF    MIND. 

It  is  the  part  of  the  slow  of  perception  to  follow 
up  the  rivulets  of  learning  and  never  to  see  the 
fountain-head. 

DILIGENCE. 

Diligence  has  greatest  power  in  everything, 
particularly  in  defending  causes;  it  is  above  all 
to  be  cultivated,  it  is  always  to  be  attended  to; 
there  is  nothing  which  it  does  not  accomplish. 

AVARICE   AND    LUXURY. 

If  you  wish  to  destroy  avarice,  you  must  destroy 
luxury,  which  is  its  mother. 

THE   ABLE    PHYSICIAN. 

The  able  physician,  before  he  attempts  to  give 
medicine  to  his  patient,  makes  himself  acquainted 
not  only  with  the  disease,  which  he  wishes  to  cure, 
but  with  the  habits  and  constitution  of  the  sick 
man. 


100  <  KJERO. 

A.  POET  MUST   BE  DIVINELY  INSPIRED. 

I  have  often  heard  that  no  real  poet  can  exist 
without  the  spirit  being  on  fire,  and  without,  as  it 
were,  a  spice  of  madness. 

So  also  Plato  ("  Phaedrus,"  c.  23)  says: — 

•'  Whoever,  without  the  madness  of  the  Muses,  approaches 
to  the  gates  of  poesy,  with  the  persuasion  that  by  means  of 
art  he  can  become  an  able  poet  fails  in  his  purpose." 

See  the  opening  of  Shakespeare's  "Midsummer-  Night's 
Dream,"  act  v. 

ENVY. 

Men  envy  high  and  successful  fortune. 

THE  ENVIOUS. 

Most  men  are  envious,  and  this  is  above  all  a 
common  fault. 

A  HARVEST. 

As  thou  sowest,  so  shalt  thou  reap. 

TKUE   GLORY. 

True  praise  is  due  to  virtue  alone. 

MAN  KNOWS   HIMSELF   LEAST. 

Every  one  is  least  known  to  himself,  and  the 
most  difficult  task  is  to  get  acquainted  with  one's 
own  character. 

SATIETY    OF   PLEASURE. 

In  everything  satiety  is  closest  on  the  greatest 
pleasures. 

UNLEARNED    GOOD    SENSE    BATHER  THAN   LOQUA- 
CIOUS   FOLLY. 

I  prefer  the  wisdom  of  the  unlearned  to  the  folly 
of  the  loquacious. 


CH  'EltO.  101 

This  is  something  like  what  Cratinus  (Etymolog.  M.,  p 
196,  T.)  says  in  a  fragment: — 

"  The  fool  goes  on  saying  baa,  baa,  like  the  sheep." 
Nicostratus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  G3S,  M.)  says:— 
"  If  it  were  the  sign  of  wisdom  to  speak  unceasingly,  much 
and  quickly,  the  swallows  would  be  accounted  much  more 
wise  than  we  are." 

Posidippus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  1148,  M.)  says:— 
"  It  is  no  hard  task  to  speak  fluently,  but  to  act  well  is  not 
so  easy;  for  many,  who  talk  fluently,  have  no  sense." 

Pope  ("  Moral  Essays,"  Ep.  iv.  1. 43)  thus  expresses  the  same 
idea: — 

"  Good  sense,  which  only  is  the  gift  of  heaven, 

And  though  no  science,  fairly  worth  the  seven." 
And   Spenser,  in  his  "  Shepherd's  Calendar "  (May,  140) 
says:— 

"  But  of  all  burdens  that  a  man  can  bear, 
Most  is,  a  fool's  talk  to  bsar  and  hear." 

DISSIMULATION. 

Dissimulation  creeps  gradually  into  the  minds 
of  men. 

THE   COUNTENANCE. 

The  countenance  is  the  very  portrait  of  the  soul, 
and  the  eyes  mark  its  intentions. 

So  Matthew  vi.  22:— 

"  The  light  of  the  body  is  the  eye." 

HIGHEST   PLACE. 

When  you  are  aspiring  to  the  highest  place,  it  is 
honorable  to  reach  the  second,  or  even  linger  in 
the  third  rank. 

THE   BEAUTIFUL   IN   THE    MIND   ONLY. 

I  am  of  opinion  that  there  is  nothing  of  any  kind 
so  beautiful,  but  there  is  something  stiil  more 
beautiful,  of  -which  this  is  the  mere  image  and  ex- 
pression— as  a  portrait  is  from  a  person's  face — a 
something  which  can  neither  le  perceived  by  the 


102  CICERO. 

eyes,  the  ears,  nor  any  of  the  senses;  we  compre- 
hend it  merely  in  the  thoughts  of  our  minds. 

GRANDILOQUENT  OBATORS. 

For  there  have  been  grandiloquent  orators,  so  to 
speak,  impressive  and  sonorous  in  their  language, 
vehement,  versatile,  and  copious;  well  trained  and 
prepared  to  excite  and  turn  the  minds  of  their  au- 
dience. While  the  same  effect  has  been  produced 
by  others,  by  a  rude,  rough,  unpolished  mode  of 
address,  without  finish  or  delicacy;  others,  again, 
have  effected  the  same  by  smooth,  well-turned  pe- 
riods. 

NEAT  OBATOBS. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  orators  of  subtle 
and  acute  minds,  well  educated,  making  every  sub- 
ject which  they  treat  clear,  but  adding  little  in  re- 
ality to  our  knowledge,  refined  and  correct  in  their 
language.  Among  these  some  are  crafty,  but  un- 
polished, and  on  purpose  rude  and  apparently  un- 
skilful; while  others  exhibit  more  elegance  in  their 
barrenness  and  want  of  spirit — that  is  to  say,  they 
are  facetious,  flowery  in  their  language,  and  admit 
of  a  few  ornaments. 

THE   POWEB   OF   THE  VOICE   DERIVED   FROM  THREE 
SOUNDS. 

Wonderful  indeed  is  the  power  of  the  voice 
which,  though  consisting  merely  of  three  sounds — 
the  bass,  treble,  and  tenor — yet  possesses  great 
strength,  and  a  sweet  variety,  as  is  shown  in  songs. 

EXCESS    OFFENDS   MORE   THAN   FALLING   SHORT. 

In  everything  we  must  consider  how  far  we 
ought  to  go,  for  though  everything  has  its  proper 


CICERO.  103 

medium,  yet  too  much  is  more  offensive  than  too 
little.  Hence  Apelles  used  to  say,  that  those  paint- 
ers committed  a  fault  who  did  not  know  what 
was  enough. 

THE   ELOQUENT   MAN. 

He  is  the  eloquent  man  who  can  treat  subjects  of 
an  humble  nature  with  delicacy,  lofty  things  im- 
pressively, and  moderate  things  temperately. 

IGNORANCE  OF  THE  PAST. 

Not  to  know  what  happened  before  one  was 
born,  is  always  to  be  a  child. 

IX  GEE  AT   ARTS  THE   HEIGHT  DELIGHTS  US. 

For  in  all  great  arts,  as  in  trees,  it  is  the  height 
that  charms  us;  we  care  nothing  for  the  roots  or 
trunks,  yet  it  could  not  be  without  the  aid  of 
these. 

TO   BE   ASHAMED   OF   OUB   PROFESSION. 

That  very  common  verse  which  forbids  us  "  to 
be  ashamed  of  speaking  of  the  profession  which 
we  practise,"  does  not  allow  me  to  conceal  that  I 
take  delight  in  it. 

NECESSITY. 

The  inventions  dictated  by  necessity  are  of  an 
earlier  date  than  those  of  pleasure. 

AVISDOM  IX  NOT   THINKING  THAT  ONE  KNOWS    THAT 
OF   WHICH   HE   IS   IGNORANT. 

For  this  cause  he  imagined  that  Socrates  was 
called  the  wisest  of  men  by  Apollo,  because  all  wis- 
dom consists  in  this,  not  to  tliink  that  we  know 
what  we  do  not  know. 


104  CKJEHO. 

Voltaire  in  the  "  Histoire  d'un  bon  Bramin  "  says:— 
"The  Brahmin  said  to  me  one  day:  I  should  wish  never  to 
have  been  born.    I  asked  him  why.    He  answered:  I  have 
been  studying  for  forty  years:  they  are  forty  years  lost:  I  am 
teaching  others,  and  I  am  ignorant  of  everything." 

The  Karl  of   bierline  (Loud.  fol.   It37,  p.  7)  says  in  his 
"  lie-creations  with  the  Muses:" — 
"  Yet  all  that  I  have  learned  (beinge  toyles  now  past\ 
By  long  experience,  and  in  famous  schooles, 
Is  but  to  know  my  ignorance  at  last. 
Who  think  themselves  most  wise  are  greatest  fooles." 

TBTJTH  AT  THE  BOTTOM  OF   A  WELL,. 

Accuse  nature,  who  has  completely  hid,  as  De- 
mocritus  says,  truth  in  the  bottom  of  a  well. 

Shakespeare  ("  Hamlet,"  act  ii.  sc.  2)  says  something  to  the 
same  effect: — 

"  If  circumstances  lead  me,  I  will  find 
Where  truth  is  hid,  though  it  were  hid  indeed 
Within  the  centre." 

This  is  not  unlike  what  JEschylus  (Supp.  1044)  says:— 
"  Who  is  able  to  fathom  with  the  eye  the  mind  of  mighty 
Jove,  a  vista,  the  depth  of  which  cannot  be  reached." 

There  is  a  very  pretty  idea  in  "  Don  Quixote,"  v.  10,  which 
seems  to  refer  to  this  proverbial  expression: — 

"  Truth  may  be  stretched  out  thinly,  but  there  can  be  no 
rent,  and  it  always  gets  above  falsehood  as  oil  does  above 
water.'' 

PAINTEKS. 

Painters  see  many  things  in  the  shade  and  the 
height  which  we  do  not  see. 

THE  SENSES. 

In  my  opinion  there  is  the  greatest  truth  in  the 
senses,  if  they  are  sound  and  strong,  and  if  all 
things  are  removed  which  oppose  and  impede 
them. 


CICERO.  Utt 

PAINTING. 

The  eyes  are  charmed  by  paintings,  the  ears  by 
music. 

REASON  A  LIGHT   TO   LIGHTEN   OUR   STEPS. 

Eeason  is  as  it  were  a  light  to  lighten  our  steps 
and  guide  us  through  the  journey  of  life. 


Nothing  is  more  delightful  than  the  light  of 
truth. 

LIKE   AS   TWO   EGGS. 

Like  as  two  eggs,  according  to  the  proverb. 

FALSEHOOD   OFTEN   BOBBERS   ON   TRUTH. 

So  close  does  falsehood  approach  to  truth,  that 
the  wise  man  would  do  well  not  to  trust  himself 
on  the  narrow  ledge. 

THE   CONTEMPLATION  OF   NATURE  IS  THE   FOOD 
OF  THE   MIND. 

When  we  are  contemplating  and  pondering  on 
the  works  of  nature,  we  are  supplying,  as  it  were, 
its  natural  food  to  the  mind :  our  thoughts  assume 
a  loftier  character,  and  we  learn  to  look  down  on 
what  is  human;  while  we  meditate  on  the  vault 
of  heaven  above,  our  own  affairs  appear  petty 
and  contemptible;  our  mind  derives  delight  from 
what  is  so  sublime  and  inscrutable. 

So  F*alm  viii.  4:— 

"  When  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers,  the 
moon  and  the  stars,  which  thou  hast  ordained ;  what  is  man 
that  thou  art  mindful  of  him?  and  the  son  of  man  that  thou 
visitest  him? 


106  CICERO. 

VIETUE   AND   ITS   COUNTERFEIT. 

It  is  not  virtue,  but  a  deceptive  copy  and*  imita- 
tion  of  virtue,  when  we  are  led  to  the  performance 
of  duty  by  pleasure  as  its  recompense. 

THE  EFFECT  OF   IGNORANCE. 

Through  ignorance  of  what  is  good  and  what  is 
bad,  the  life  of  man  is  greatly  perplexed. 

DEATH    ALWAYS   IMPENDING. 

Death  approaches,  which  is  always  impending 
o/vr  us,  like  the  stone  over  Tantalus;  then  comes 
superstition,  with  which  he,  who  is  racked,  can 
never  have  peace  of  mind. 

HOW   AVE   ARE    RELIEVED    FROM    SUPERSTITION. 

When  we  know  the  nature  of  all  things,  we  are 
relieved  from  superstition,  freed  from  the  fear  of 
death,  and  not  disturbed  by  ignorance  of  circum- 
stances, from  which  often  arise  fearful  terrors. 

TERSE  SENTENCES. 

Terse  sentences  briefly  expressed,  Iiave  great 
weight  in  leading  to  a  happy  life. 

MAN    BORN    FOR   TWO   THINGS. 

Man  has  been  born  for  two  things — thinking  and 
acting. 

THE    TRUTH. 

Nature  has  inspired  man  with  the  desire  of  see- 
ing the  truth. 

HOW   BEAUTIFUL   VIRTUE   IF   SHE   COULD   BE 
SEEN. 

What  fervent  love  of  herself  would  Virtue  excite 
if  she  could  be  seen ! 


CICERO.  107 

Plato  speaks  ("  Phsedrus,"  c.  31  or  2TO  D.)  in  the  same  noble 
language:— For  sight  is  the  sharpest  of  our  bodily  senses, 
though  wisdom  cannot  be  seen  by  it.  How  vehement  would 
be  the  love  she  would  inspire,  if  she  came  before  our  sight, 
and  showed  us  any  such  clear  image  of  herself,  and  so  would 
all  other  lovable  things. 

MONEY. 

Money  is  the  creator  of  many  pleasures. 

TEMPERANCE. 

Temperance  is  the  moderating  of  one's  desires 
in  obedience  to  reason. 

BARE  THINGS. 

In  every  art,  science,  and  we  may  say  even  in 
virtue  itself,  the  best  is  most  rarely  to  be  found. 

HUNGER  BEST   SEASONING   FOB   FOOD. 

I  hear  Socrates  saying  that  the  best  seasoning  for 
food  is  hunger,  for  drink,  thirst. 

WHO  CAN  KNOW  WHAT  A  DAY  MAY  BRING 
FOBTH  ? 

Can  any  one  find  out  how  his  body  shall  be,  I  do 
not  say  a  year  hence,  but  even  at  evening? 

HIS   DEEDS   DIFFEB   FROM   HIS   AVORDS. 

His  deeds  do  not  agree  with  his  words. 

PAST  LABORS. 

It  is  generally  said  "Past  labors  are  pleasant." 
Euripides  says,  for  you  all  know  the  Greek  verse, 
"The  recollection  of  past  labors  is  pleasant." 

THE   FICKLE   AND   TRIFLING. 

Who  does  not  hate  tho  mean,  the  vain,  the  fickle, 
and  the  trifling  ? 


108  CICERO. 

MANKIND  BORN  FOR  SOCIETY. 

We  have  been  born  to  unite  with  our  fellow-men, 
and  to  join  in  community  with  the  human  race. 

So  1  John  i.  7:— 

"  But  if  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we  hare 
fellowship  one  with  another.  " 

LITERATURE   NECESSARY   TO   THE   MIND. 

The  cultivation  of  the  mind  is  a  kind  of  food 
supplied  for  the  soul  of  man. 

THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THINGS. 

The  beginnings  of  all  things  are  small. 

JUSTICE. 
Justice  is  seen  in  giving  every  one  his  own. 

HABIT. 
Habit  is  as  it  were  a  second  nature. 

ARTS  CHERISHED  BY  RESPECT  SHOWN  TO  THEM. 

The  honor  shown  to  arts  cherishes  them,  for  all 
are  incited   to  their  pursuit  by  fame;    the  arts 
which  are  contemned  by  a -people  make  always 
Jittle  progress. 
Moore  says:— 

"  Where  none  admire,  'tis  useless  to  excel : 
Where  none  are  beaux,  'tis  vain  to  be  a  belle.'1 

PROPER  EXPRESSION  DOES  NOT  ALWAYS  FOLLOW 
CORRECT  THOUGHT. 

It  may  happen  that  a  man  may  think  rightly, 
yet  cannot  express  elegantly  what  he  thinks.  But 
that  any  one  should  commit  his  thoughts  to  writ- 
ing, who  can  neither  arrange  or  explain  them,  nor 
amuse  the  reader,  is  the  part  of  a  man  unreasona- 
bly abusing  both  his  leisure  and  learning. 


CICEUO.  109 

DEATH. 

I  am  unwilling  to  die,  but  I  care  not  if  I  were 
dead. 

WHILE   I   EEAD,  I   ASSENT. 

While  I  read,  I  assent;  when  I  have  laid  down 
the  book,  and  have  begun  to  meditate  on  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul,  all  this  feeling  of  acqui- 
escence vanishes. 

ANTIQUITY. 

Antiquity,  the  nearer  it  was  to  its  divine  origin, 
perhaps  perceived  more  clearly  what  things  were 
true. 

ALL  NATIONS  ACKNOWLEDGE   A  GOD. 

No  nation  is  so  barbarous,  no  one  is  so  savage, 
whose  mind  is  not  imbued  with  some  idea  of  the 
gods.  Many  entertain  foolish  ideas  respecting 
them,  yet  all  think  that  there  is  some  divine  power 
and  nature. 

Sol  John  vi.  1:— 

"  Beloved,  believe  not  every  spirit,  but  try  the  spirits 
whether  they  are  of  God." 

LAW  OF  NATURE  IS  THE  CONSENT  OF  ALL  NATIONS^ 

In  everything  the  consent  of  all  nations  is  re- 
garded as  the  law  of  nature. 

THE   HUSBANDMAN  PLANTS   FOR  POSTERITY. 

The  industrious  husbandman  plants  trees,  of 
which  he  himself  will  never  see  a  berry. 

TO  DIE  FOR  ONE'S  COUNTRY. 

Nobody  could  ever  meet  death  in  defence  of  his 
country  without  the  hope  of  immortality. 


110  CICEBO. 

THE   POET. 

I  fly  from  mouth  to  mouth,  ever  living. 

ANTICIPATION   OF  FUTURE  AGES. 

There  resides  in  the  human  breast,  I  know  not 
how,  a  certain  anticipation  of  future  ages;  this 
exists  and  appears  chiefly  in  the  noblest  spirits;  if 
it  were  taken  from  us,  who  is  there  so  mad  as  to 
lead  a  life  of  danger  and  anxiety? 

THE   SOUL  EXISTS  BY  CONSENT  OF  ALL  NATIONS. 

As  nature  tells  us,  there  are  gods,  and  we  know, 
by  the  understanding,  what  like  they  must  be,  so, 
by  the  consent  of  all  nations,  we  believe  that  the 
soul  exists  for  eternity;  but  where  it  is  to  exist, 
and  of  what  nature  it  is,  we  must  learn  from  the 
understanding. 

DIFFICULT     TO     RELIEVE     THE      MIND     FROM     THE 
THRALDOM   OF  THE   SENSES. 

It  requires  a  powerful  intellect  to  release  the 
mind  from  the  thraldom  of  the  senses,  and  to 
wean  the  thoughts  from  confirmed  habits. 

TO  ERR  WITH  PLATO ! 

• 

By  Hercules,  I  prefer  to  err  with  Plato,  whom  I 
know  how  much  you  value,  than  to  be  right  in  the 
company  of  such  men. 

A  PROFESSION. 

Let  a  man  practise  the  profession  which  he  best 
knows. 

THE  TRUTH. 

Nature  has  imbued  our  minds  with  an  insatiable 
desire  to  be  acquainted  with  the  true. 


CICERO.  Ill 

THE   SOUL   IMPRISONED   IN   THE   BODY. 

When  I  reflect  on  the  nature  of  the  soul,  it  is 
much  more  difficult  for  me  to  conceive  what  like 
the  soul  is  in  the  body,  where  it  dwells  as  in  a 
foreign  land,  than  what  like  it  must  be  when  it 
has  left  the  body  and  ascended  to  heaven,  its  own 
peculiar  home. 

So  1  Chronicles  xxix.  15:— 

"  For  we  are  strangers  before  thee.  and  sojourners,  as  were 
all  our  fathers." 

And  Matthew  xxv.  34: — 

"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 

THE   MIND   OF   THE    ASTRONOMER  IS   DIVINE. 

The  mind  that  has  comprehended  the  revolu- 
tions and  the  complicated  movements  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  has  proved  that  it  resembles  that 
of  the  Being  who  has  fashioned  and  placed  them 
in  the  vault  of  heaven. 

PHILOSOPHY. 

Philosophy,  the  mother  of  all  arts,  what  else  is 
it,  except,  as  Plato  says,  the  gift,  as  I  say,  the  in- 
vention, of  the  gods  ?  It  is  she  that  has  taught 
us  first  to  worship  them,  next  has  instructed  us 
in  the  legal  rights  of  mankind,  which  arise  out  of 
the  social  union  of  the  human  race,  then  has 
shown  us  the  moderation  and  greatness  of  the 
mind;  and  she  too  has  dispelled  darkness  from 
the  mind  as  from  the  eyes. 

So  Ecclesiastes  ii.  26:— 

"  For  God  giveth  to  a  man  that  is  good  in  his  sight  wisdom, 
and  knowledge,  and  joy." 

THE  SOUL. 

Whatever  that  principle  is   which   feels,   con- 


112  CICEliO. 

ceives,  lives,  and  exists,  it  is  heavenly  and  divine, 
and  therefore  must  be  eternal. 

So  Romans  v.  5:— 

"  The  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  is  given  unto  us." 

THE   MIND, 

Although  thou  art  not  able  to  see  the  mind  of 
man,  as  thou  seest  not  God,  yet  as  thou  reeogniz- 
est  God  from  His  works,  so  thou  must  acknowl- 
edge the  divine  power  of  the  mind  from  its  recol- 
lection of  past  events,  its  powers  of  invention,  from 
its  rapidity  of  movement,  and  the  desire  it  has  for 
the  beautiful. 

So  Romans  i.  20:  — 

"For  the  invisible  things  of  him  from  the  creation  of  the 
world  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that 
are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  God-head."' 

THE   GOOD   AND   THE   BAD. 

The  opinion  of  Socrates  was  to  the  following 
effect,  and  thus  he  spoke:  "There  are  two  roads 
and  two  directions  which  souls  take  on  leaving 
the  body.  Those  who  have  spent  their  lives  iu 
vicious  practices,  giving  themselves  wholly  up  to 
the  lusts  of  the  body,  so  as  to  become  blinded  to 
all  that  is  good,  or  who  have  sunk  into  the  mire 
of  private  filth  and  wickedness,  or  who  have  com- 
mitted inexpiable  crimes  against  their  country, 
such  go  to  a  sepaimate  abode,  away  from  the  gods. 
Those,  on  the  other  hand,  who  have  kept  them- 
selves pure  and  chaste,  little  subject  to  fleshly 
lusts,  but  imitating  the  life  of  the  gods,  find  no 
difficulty  in  returning  to  those  from  whom  they 
came. 

SUICIDE. 

That  divine  principle,  that  rules  within  us,  for- 


C  ICE  HO.  113 

•  bids  us  to  leave  this  world  without  the  order  of 
the  Divinity. 

THE   LIFE   OF   PHILOSOPHERS. 

The  whole  life  of  philosophers  is  a  commentary 
on  death. 

LIFE  LENT  TO  ITS    AT  INTEREST  BY  NATURE. 

Nature  has  bestowed  on  us  life  at  interest  like 
money,  no  day  being  fixed  for  its  repayment. 

INNUMERABLE  ROADS  TO  THE  GRAVE. 

There  are  innumerable  roads  on  all  sides  to  the 
grave. 

THE   MAN  WHO   HAS   LIVED   LONG   ENOUGH. 

Every  man  has  lived  long  enough  who  has  gone 
through  all  the  duties  of  life  with  unblemished 
character. 

GLORY. 
Glory  follows  virtue  as  if  it  were  its  shadow. 

MAN   NOT   MADE   BY   CHANCE. 

For  we  have  not  been  framed  or  created  without 
design  nor  by  chance,  but  there  has  been  truly 
some  certain  power,  which  had  in  view  the  happi- 
ness of  mankind;  neither  producing  nor  maintain- 
ing a  being,  which,  when  it  had  completed  all  its 
labors,  should  then  sink  into  the  eternal  misery  of 
death:  rather  let  us  think  that  there  is  a  haven 
and  refuge  prepared  for  us. 

OUR  LAST  DAY. 

That  last  day  brings  not  to  us  extinction  but 
merely  change  of  place. 

8 


114  CICERO. 

FEW  ACT  ACCORDING  TO  REASON. 

How  few  philosophers  are  there  whose  habits, 
mind,  and  lives  are  constituted  as  reason  demands. 

So  Proverbs  xx.  9: — 

"Who  can  say,  I  have  made  my  heart  clean,  I  am  pure 
from  my  sin  ? " 

ALL  MEN  NOT  SUSCEPTIBLE  OF  IMPROVEMENT. 

All  fields  are  not  fruitful. 

PHILOSOPHY. 

Philosophy  is  the  cultivation  of  the  mental 
faculties;  it  roots  out  vices  and  prepares  the  mind 
to  receive  proper  seed. 

DEATH. 

He  who  is  preparing  destruction  for  another, 
may  be  certain  that  his  own  life  is  in  danger. 

HABIT. 

Great  is  the  power  of  habit. 

REASON. 
Reason  is  the  mistress  and  queen  of  all  things. 

CONSCIENCE. 

There  is  no  greater  theatre  for  virtue  than  con- 
science. 

THE  WICKEDNESS   OF   MAX. 

Now  as  soon  as  we  have  been  ushered  into  the 
light  of  day  and  brought  up,  at  once  we  are 
engaged  in  every  kind  of  wicked  practice  and  the 
utmost  perversity,  so  that  we  seem  to  have  sucked 
in  error  almost  with  our  nurse's  milk. 


CICERO.  115 

GLORY. 

Glory  is  something  that  is  really  and  actually 
existing,  and  not  a  mere  sketch;  it  is  the  united 
expression  of  approval  by  the  good,  the  genuine 
testimony  of  men  who  have  the  power  of  forming 
a  proper  judgment  of  virtuous  conduct;  it  is  the 
sound  given  back  by  virtue,  like  the  echoes  of  the 
woods,  which,  as  it  usually  attends  on  virtuous 
actions,  is  not  to  be  despised  by  the  good. 

Milton  ("Paradise  Regained,"  b.  iii.  1.  25)  thus  speaks  of 
glory:— 

"  Glory,  the  reward 

That  sole  excites  in  high  attempts,  the  flame 
Of  most  erected  spirits,  most  tempered  pure 
Ethereal,  who  all  pleasures  else  despise." 

DISEASES   OF    THE   MIND. 

The  diseases  of  the  mind  are  more  destructive 
and  in  greater  number  than  those  of  the  body. 


When  the  mind  is  in  a  disturbed  state,  like  the 
body,  health  cannot  exist. 

THE   ATICIPATION  OF   EVILS. 

Epicurus  thinks  that  it  is  foolish  to  anticipate 
future  evils,  which  may  never  happen:  "  sufficient 
unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 

PAIN   AND   DISEASE. 

There  is  no  mortal  whom  pain  and  disease  do 
not  reach. 

FOLLY  TO  TEAB    ONE'S  HAIR    IN   SORROW. 

It  is  folly  to  tear  one's  hair  in  sorrow,  as  if  grief 
could  be  assuaged  by  baldness. 


116  CICERO. 

THE  FOOL  LYNX-EYED  TO  THE   FOLLIES  OF  HIS 
NEIGHBORS. 

It  is  the  peculiar  quality  of  a  fool  to  be  quick  in 
seeing  the  faults  of  others,  while  he  easily  forgets 
his  own. 

Sosicrates  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  1183)  says: — 
"  We  are  quick  to  see  the  evil  conduct  of  others,  btit  when 
we  ourselves  do  the  same,  we  are  unconscious  of  it." 

WHAT   IS   ILLITSTRIOUS    IS    ATTAINED   BY   LABOR. 

What  is  there  that  is  illustrious,  that  is  not  also 
attended  by  labor  ? 

DL'ST  TO   DUST. 

Dust  must  be  consigned  to  dust. 

So  Ecclesiastes  xii.  7: — 

"  Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was." 

And  iii.  20:— 

"  All  are  of  the  dust,  and  all  turn  to  dust  again." 

HATRED. 

Hatred  is  ingrained  anger. 

ANGER. 

Anger  is  the  desire  of  punishing  the  man  who 
seems  to  have  injured  you. 

So  Proverbs  xxvii.  4: — 

"  Wrath  is  cruel,  and  anger  is  outrageous.'' 


Discord  is  anger  more  bitter  than  hatred,  con- 
ceived in  the  inmost  breast. 

AVARICE. 

When  money  is  coveted,  and  reason  does  not 
cure  the  desire,  there  a  disease  of  the  mind  exists, 
and  that  disease  is  called  "  avarice." 


CIVELiO.  117 

THE   CORRUPTION    OF   OPINIONS. 

Hence  it  happens  that  mental  diseases  take 
their  rise  from  the  corrupt  state  of  the  sentiments. 

A   LAUGH   ADMISSIBLE,   BUT   NOT  A   GUFFAW. 

Though  a  laugh  is  allowable,  a  horse-laugh  is 
abominable. 

PHILOSOPHY. 

Philosophy,  thou  guide  of  life!  Thou  searcher 
after  virtue,  and  banisher  of  vice!  What  would 
not  only  we  ourselves,  but  the  whole  life  of  men, 
have  been  without  thy  aid?  It  is  thou  that  found- 
edst  cities,  collectedst  men  in  social  union;  thou 
that  broughtest  them  together  first  in  dwellings, 
then  in  marriage,  then  in  all  the  delights  of  litera- 
ture: thou  discoveredst  laws,  bestowedst  on  men 
virtuous  habits:  to  thee  we  fly  for  aid.  One  day 
spent  virtuously,  and  in  obedience  to  thy  precepts, 
is  worth  an  immortality  of  sin. 

Sophocles  (Antig.  354)  thus  speaks  of  man:— 

"  And  he  hath  taught  himself  language,  lofty  wisdom,  and 
the  customs  of  civic  law." 

In  fact  he  represents  speech  and  language  as  the  beginning 
of  civilization. 

Milton  in  his  "  Comus  "  (1.  484)  thus  eulogizes  philosophy:  — 

"  How  charming  is  Divine  Philosophy! 
Not  harsh  and  crabbed  as  dull  fools  suppose; 
But  musical  as  is  Apollo's  lute. 
And  a  perpetual  feast  of  nectar'd  sweets, 
Where  no  crude  surfeit  reigns." 

SOCRATES. 

Socrates  was  the  first  who  brought  down  philos- 
ophy from  heaven,  introducing  it  into  the  abodes 
of  men,  and  compelling  them  to  study  the  science 
of  life,  of  human  morals,  and  the  effects  of  things 
good  and  bad. 


118  CICERO. 

Milton  ("  Paradise  Regained,"  b.  iv.  1. 2C1)  says  of  Socrates:— 
"  To  sage  Philosophy  next  lend  thine  ear, 
From  heaven  descended  to  the  low-roof  'd  house 
Of  Socrates:  see  there  his  tenement, 
Whom  well  inspired  the  oracle  pronounced 
Wisest  of  men ;  from  whose  mouth  issued  forth 
Mellifluous  streams  that  water'd  all  the  schools 
Of  Academicks,  old  and  new." 
So  Psalm  Ixxxiv.  10: — 

'•  For  a  day  in  thy  courts  is  better  than  a  thousand.  I  had 
rather  be  a  door-keeper  in  the  house  of  my  God  than  dwell  in 
the  tents  of  wickedness." 

HUMAN     LIFE. 

It  is  fortune,  not  wisdom,  that  rules  tne  life  of 
man. 

THE    MIND    OF   MAX. 

The  mind  of  man,  a  particle  plucked  from  the 
intellect  of  the  Almighty,  can  be  compared  with 
nothing  else,  if  we  may  be  forgiven  for  saying  so, 
than  with  God  himself. 

So  Joel  ii.  28:- 

"I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh." 

And  Luke  iv.  18: — 

"  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me." 

THE    POET. 

I  have  not  yet  known  a  poet  who  did  not  thini 
himself  superexcellent. 

ONE'S  OWN. 
His  own  is  beautiful  to  each. 

STRIVING    AFTER  DIVINE    THINGS. 

The  very  meditating  on  the  power  and  nature  of 
God  excites  the  desire  to  imitate  that  eternal  Being. 

So  Colossians  iii.  2:— 

"  Set  your  affections  on  things  above,  not  on  things  on  the 
earth." 


CICERO.  119 

VIRTUE. 

Virtue  joins  man  to  God. 

So  3  John  ii:— 

"  He  that  doeth  good  is  of  God:  but  he  that  doeth  evil  hath 
not  seen  God." 

BETTER    TO   RECEIVE   THAN    DO    AN   INJURY. 

It  is  far  better  to  receive  than  to  do  an  injury. 

THE   MIND  OPPRESSED    BY   EXCESSIVE   EATING. 

We  cannot  use  the  mind  aright,  when  the  body 
is  filled  with  excess  of  food  and  drink. 

FATHERLAND  WHEREVER    WE    ENJOY   OURSELVES. 

Our  country  is  wherever  we  find  ourselves  to  bo 
happy. 

When  Soci^ites  was  asked  to  what  country  ho 
belonged,  he  said  that  he  was  a  citizen  of  the 
world.  For  he  thought  himself  an  inhabitant  and 
citizen  of  the  whole  universe. 

"  I  THINK,    THEREFORE   I    AM." 

To  think  is  to  live. 

DRINK    OK    DEPART. 

In  life  we  ought,  in  my  opinion,  to  observe  that 
rule,  which  prevails  in  the  banquets  of  the  Greeks: 
"  Let  him  either  drink  or  depart." 

ELOQUENCE  THE  COMPANION  OF  PEACE. 

Eloquence  is  the  companion  of  peace,  the  associ- 
ate of  a  life  of  leisure,  and  the  pupil,  as  we  may 
say,  of  a  state  that  is  properly  constituted. 

NEXT,    BUT    AT  A    LONG  INTERVAL. 

Next,  but  at  a  long  interval. 


120  <  K'KRO. 

HONOR  IS  THE   REWARD   OF  VIRTUE. 

Honor  is  the  reward  of  virtue. 

VIRTUE  TO    BE    PUT    IX  PRACTICE. 

Nor  is  it  sufficient  merely  to  be  in  possession  of 
virtue,  as  if  it  were  an  art,  but  we  must  practise 

it. 

VIRTUE    CONSISTS   IN    ACTION. 

The  whole  of  virtue  consists  in  practice. 

FATHERLAND   NOT   A   REFUGE   FOR  OUR  IDLENESS. 

Nor  has  our  fatherland  produced  and  brought 
us  up,  so  that  she  should  derive  no  advantage 
from  us.  or  that  we  should  regard  it  as  created 
for  our  mere  convenience — as  a  place  where  we 
may  tranquilly  while  away  our  useless  existence 
in  idleness  and  sloth.  Such  is  not  the  proper 
view  in  which  we  should  regard  our  country. 
She  claims  from  us  the  mightiest  exertions  of  our 
mind,  and  of  all  our  powers,  and  only  gives  back 
for  our  private  use  what  remains  of  our  stock  of 
time  after  we  have  been  so  employed. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Incert.  19)  says: — 

"  The  whole,  heaven  can  be  traversed  by  a  bird ;  the  whole 
earth  is  the  fatherland  of  the  noble-minded." 

STATESMEN   RESEMBLE   THE   DIVINE   POWERS. 

Nor  is  there  anything  in  which  the  virtue  of 
mankind  approaches  nearer  to  the  gods  than  when 
they  are  employed  in  founding  new  common- 
wealths, and  in  preserving  those  already  founded. 

BOOKS. 

My  books  are  always  at  leisure  for  me,  they  are 
never  engaged. 


CICERO.  121 

A  COMMONWEALTH    BOUND    BY   THE    COMPACT    OF 
JUSTICE. 

A  state  is  the  common  weal  of  a  people :  but  a 
people  is  not  every  assembly  of  men  brought 
together  in  any  way;  it  is  an  assembly  of  men 
united  together  by  the  bonds  of  just  laws,  and  by 
common  advantages. 

THE   MANAGEMENT   OF   THE    STATE. 

Every  state,  every  commonwealth  is  to  be  gov- 
erned by  prudence,  that  it  may  be  lasting. 

DIFFERENT   FORMS   OF   GOVERNMENT. 

When  the  government  is  in  the  hands  of  one  in- 
dividual, we  call  such  a  man  a  king  and  the  state 
a  kingdom.  When  it  is  in  the  hands  of  a  select 
body,  that  form  of  government  is  aristocratic. 
But  that  state  is  a  republic,  so  they  call  it,  when 
everything  is  dependent  on  the  people. 

EQUALITY   OF   DEMOCRACIES. 

For  equality  of  rights,  of  which  a  free  people  is 
so  fond,  cannot  be  maintained;  for  the  very  people 
themselves,  though  they  are  their  own  masters, 
and  perfectly  uncontrolled,  give  up  much  power 
to  many  of  their  fellow-citizens,  showing  cringing 
respect  to  men  and  dignities.  That,  which  is 
called  equality,  is  most  iniquitous  in  its  acts. 


In  no  other  state  except  that  in  which  the  power 
of  the  people  is  supreme  has  liberty  any  abode, 
than  which  nothing  assuredly  can  be  more  delight- 
ful. 


122  CICERO. 

A  FKEE   STATE. 

If  the  people  hold  the  supreme  power,  they 
affirm  that  no  form  of  government  is  more  excel- 
lent, more  free,  more  happy,  inasmuch  as  they  are 
the  masters  of  laws,  courts,  war,  peace,  leagues, 
lives,  and  fortunes  of  every  one. 

LAWS   OUGHT   TO   BE   EQUAL   TO   ALL. 

If  all  cannot  be  equal  in  property,  if  the  talents 
of  all  cannot  be  the  same,  the  laws  at  least  should 
be  the  same  to  those  who  are  citizens  in  the  same 
state. 

THE  WEALTHIEST  KEOABDED  THE  NOBLEST. 

For  riches,  great  fame,  wealth  unaccompanied 
by  wisdom  and  the  knowledge  of  living  virtuously 
and  commanding  properly,  are  only  the  cause  of 
greater  disgrace,  and  of  exhibiting  insolence  in 
more  glaring  colors ;  nor  is  there  any  form  of  state 
more  disgraceful  to  men  than  that  in  which  the 
wealthiest  are  regarded  the  noblest. 

AUTHORITIES   LESS   THAN   ARGUMENTS. 

In  the  eyes  of  a  wise  judge,  proofs  by  reasoning 
are  of  more  value  than  witnesses. 

REVOLUTIONARY   MADNESS. 

When  a  people  has  once  treated  with  violence  a 
just  king,  or  hurled  him  from  his  throne,  or  even, 
what  has  often  happened,  has  tasted  the  blood  of 
the  nobles,  and  subjected  the  whole  common- 
wealth to  their  fury,  do  not  be  foolish  enough  to 
imagine  that  it  would  be  easier  to  calm  the  most 
furious  hurricane  at  sea,  or  flames  of  fire,  than  to 
curb  the  unbridled  insolence  of  the  multitude. 


CICEEO.  123 

CHANGES  OF  GOVERNMENT  LIKE  A  GAME  OF  BALL. 

Then  tyrants  snatch  the  government  from  kings 
like  at  a  game  of  ball;  from  them  the  nobles  or 
people  in  their  turn,  to  whom  succeed  factious 
parties  or  tyrants;  nor  does  the  same  form  of 
government  ever  remain  for  any  length  of  time. 

THE   RESULT   OF   TOO    GREAT   LICENCE. 

Excessive  licence  leads  both  nations  and  private 
individuals  into  excessive  slavery. 

So  Matthew  v.  17:— 

"  I  am  not  come  to  destroy  the  law." 

KING,   LORDS,    COMMONS. 

Since  this  is  so,  in  my  opinion  monarchy  is  by 
far  the  best  of  the  three  forms;  but  the  monarch- 
ical is  excelled  by  that  which  is  made  up  and 
formed  of  the  three  best  kinds  of  government. 
In  a  state  there  ought  to  be  something  super-emi- 
nent and  royal;  another  portion  of  power  ought 
to  be  assigned  to  the  nobles,  and  some  ought  to 
be  reserved  for  the  lower  classes. 

WHAT   PRODUCES   CHANGE   IN  MANNERS. 

In  maritime  cities  there  is  a  certain  corruption 
and  change  of  habits;  for  they  are  intei mingling 
with  new  modes  of  speech  and  manners,  and  there 
are  imported  not  only  foreign  merchandise  but 
manners  also,  so  there  is  no  fixedness  in  the  in- 
stitutions of  the  country. 

GREATEST   NUMBER. 

In  a  state  this  rule  ought  always  to  be  observed, 
that  the  greatest  number  should  not  have  the 
predominant  power. 


124  C1CEUO. 

A   MONARCHICAL    FOKM    OF    GOVERNMENT. 

A  royal  form  of  government  is  not  only  not 
to  be  found  fault  with,  but  I  know  not  whether  it 
is  not  to  be  far  preferred  to  other  simple  forms. 

JUSTICE  ORDERS  TO  CONSULT  THE  GOOD  OF  ALL. 

Justice  commands  us  to  have  mercy  on  all  men, 
to  consult  for  the  interests  of  mankind,  to  give 
every  one  his  due,  not  to  commit  sacrilege,  and 
not  to  covet  the  goods  of  others. 

LAW. 

True  law  is  right  reason,  in  unison  with  nature, 
pervading  all,  never  varying,  eternal,  which  sum- 
mons man  to  duty  by  its  commands,  deters  him 
from  fraudulent  acts,  which,  moreover,  neither 
commands  nor  forbids  the  good  in  vain,  nor  yet 
affects  the  bad  by  commanding  or  forbidding.  It 
is  not  allowable  to  annul  this  law,  nor  is  it  lawful 
to  take  anything  from  it,  nor  to  abrogate  it  alto- 
gether; nor  are  we  able  to  be  released  from  it, 
either  by  the  senate  or  by  the  people;  nor  is  there 
any  other  expounder  or  interpreter  to  be  sought; 
nor  will  there  be  one  law  at  Rome,  another  at 
Athens,  one  now,  another  hereafter;  but  one  eter- 
nal and  immutable  law  will  rule  all  natrons,  and 
at  all  times,  and  there  will  be  one  common,  as  it 
were,  master  and  ruler  of  all — namely,  God,  the 
Creator,  the  decider  and  passer  of  the  law.  Who- 
ever does  not  obey  it  will  fly  from  himself,  and 
despises  the  nature  of  man,  and  by  that  very  cir- 
cumstance will  suffer  the  severest  punishments, 
though  he  may  escape  other  things  which  men 
are  wont  to  regard  as  punishments. 

So  Psalm  xix.  7:— 

"  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  converting  the  sou1.:  the 
testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple." 


CICERO.  12i> 

RIGORS   OF    LAW. 

The  path  of  law  is  of  such  a  kind  in  some  things 
that  there  is  no  room  for  favor. 

INTERCOURSE    BY    LETTERS. 

You  are  aware  that  there  are  many  kinds  of 
epistolary  correspondence,  but  that  alone  is  the 
most  assured,  for  the  sake  of  which  it  was  invent- 
ed— namely,  to  inform  the  absent,  if  there  be  any- 
thing which  it  is  of  importance  that  they  should 
know,  either  about  our  affairs  or  their  own. 

A   MODEST   MAX. 

It  is  annoying  to  a  modest  man  to  ask  anything 
of  value  from  one  on  whom  he  thinks  that  he  has 
conferred  a  favor,  lest  he  should  seem  to  demand 
as  a  right  rather  than  ask  as  a  favor :  and  should 
appear  to  account  it  as  a  remuneration  rather 
than  a  kindness.  It  is  the  feeling  of  a  noble  and 
liberal  mind  to  be  willing  to  owe  much  to  the  man 
to  whom  you  already  owe  much. 

ADVICE   WISEST   FROM    YOURSELF. 

Nobody  can  give  you  wiser  advice  than  your- 
self ;  you  will  never  err  if  you  listen  to  your  own 
suggestions. 

LETTERS. 

We  write  differently  when  we  think  that  those 
only  to  whom  we  write  will  read  our  letters,  and 
in  a  different  style  when  our  letters  will  be  seen 
by  many. 

WHERE  THERE  IS  A  PBECEDEXT,  THAT  IS  THOUGHT 
RIGHT. 

Men  think  that  they  may  justly  do  that,  for 
which  they  have  a  precedent. 


126  CICEBO. 

VICTORY  IN  CIVIL    WAB. 

Spirit  of  insolence,  which  victory  in  all  civil 
wars  never  fails  to  inspire. 

EMPIRICS. 

Do  not  imitate  those  unskilful  empirics,  who 
pretend  to  cure  other  men's  disorders,  but  are1 
unable  to  find  a  remedy  for  their  own.  < 

GRIEF    LESSENED    BY    TIME. 

There  is  no  grief  which  time  does  not  lessen 
and  soften. 

Philetas  of  Cos  (Fr.  1,  S.)  says:— 

"  But  when  time  has  come  round,  which  has  been  assigned 
by  Jupiter  to  assuage  grief,  and  which  alone  possesses  a 
remedy  for  pains." 

AndSimonides  of  Ceos  (Fr.  73,  S.)  says: — 

"  Jupiter  alone  possesses  a  remedy  for  all  sorrows." 

SWEET    HOME. 

There  is  no  place  so  delightful  as  one's  own 
fireside. 

TO  YIELD  TO   NECESSITY. 

To  yield  to  the  times,  that  is,  to  obey  necessity, 
has  always  been  regarded  as  the  act  of  a  wise 
man. 

CIVIL  WARS. 

All  civil. wars  are  full  of  numberless  calamities, 
but  victory  itself  is  more  to  be  dreaded  than  any- 
thing else.  For  though  it  should  decide  itself  on 
the  side  of  the  more  deserving,  yet  it  will  be  apt  to 
inspire  even  those  with  a  spirit  of  insolence  and 
cruelty,  and  though  they  be  not  so  by  inclination, 
they  at  least  will  be  by  necessity.  For  the  con- 
queror must,  in  many  instances,  find  himself 


CICERO.  127 

obliged  to   submit  to  the  pressure  of  those  who 
have  assisted  him  in  his  conquest. 

CHANGES    SUITED   TO   AMUSE. 

There  is  nothing  more  suited    to    amuse    the 
reader  than  the  chants  to  which  \ve  are  subject 
and  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune. 
So  Cowper  ("The  Timepiece,"  bk.  ii.):— 

"  Variety  s  the  very  spice  of  life, 
That  gives  it  all  its  flavor." 

TRUE   WISDOM. 

I  regard  the  greatest  praise  of  wisdom  to  be, 
that  man  should  be  self-dependent,  and  to  have 
no  doubts  as  to  the  proper  method  of  living  well 
or  ill. 

NOTHING   TO   BE   MORE   GUARDED   AGAINST  THAN 
CRIME. 

Let  us  be  of  that  opinion,  which  reason  and  vir- 
tue dictate,  that  we  have  nothing  to  guard  against 
in  life  except  crime;  and  when  we  are  free  from 
that,  we  may  endure  everything  else  with  patience 
and  moderation. 

EVERY   ONE   DISSATISFIED   WITH   HIS    CONDITION. 

Every  man  is  dissatisfied  with  his  own  fortune. 

THE   MISERY   OF   OTHERS. 

The  comfort  derived  from  the  misery  of  others 
is  slight. 

CONSOLATION    UNDER    ADVERSITY. 

It  is,  indeed,  the  greatest  consolation  under 
adversity,  to  be  conscious  of  having  always  meant 
well,  and  to  be  persuaded  that  nothing  but  guilt 
deserves  to  be  considered  as  a  severe  evil. 


128  CICERO, 

So  Hebrews  xiii.  18:— 

"  We  trust  we  have  a  good  conscience,  in  all  things  willing 
to  live  honestly." 

ALLEVIATION*    OF    MISFORTUNE. 

For  to  reflect  on  the  misfortunes  to  which  man- 
kind in  general  are  exposed,  greatly  contributes  to 
alleviate  the  weight  of  those  which  we  ourselves 
endure. 

TO    BE    FBEE    FROM    FAULTS. 

To  be  free  from  faults  is  a  great  comfort. 

So  Proverbs  xx  riii.  1:— 

"  The  righteous  are  bold  as  a  lion." 

VIHTUE. 

Nothing,  believe  me,  is  more  beautiful  than  vir- 
tue ;  nothing  more  fair,  nothing  more  lovely. 

So  Psalm  cxix.  33.  etc.:— 

"Make  me  to  go  in  the  path  of  thy  commandments;  for 
therein  do  I  delight:  .  .  .  for  thy  judgments  are  good:  . . . 
quicken  me  in  thy  righteousness." 

LOVE   SOMETIMES   COUNTERFEIT. 

A  pretended  affection  is  not  easily  distinguished 
from  a  real  one,  unless  in  seasons  of  distress. 
For  adversity  is  to  friendship  what  fire  is  to  gold 
— the  only  infallible  test  to  discover  the  genuine 
from  the  counterfeit.  In  all  other  cases  they  both 
have  the  same  common  marks. 

FOOLS. 

All  places  are  replete  with  fools. 

So  Psalm  xciv.  8:— 

"  Ye  fools,  when  will  ye  be  wise*  " 


CICERO.  129 

VIRTUE  AND  FORTUNE. 

Thou  hast  attained  the  highest  rank,  with  virtue 
leading  the  way  and  fortune  attending  thee. 

TO  DESERVE  WELL  OF  ONE'S  COUNTRY. 

Of  all  human  things  there  is  nothing  moi-e  full 
of  honor  or  better  than  to  deserve  well  of  one's 
country. 

BLUNDERS. 

For  to  stumble  twice  against  the  same  stone  is  a 
disgrace,  you  know,  even  to  a  proverb. 

THE    MENACES    OF   ANY   ONE    ARE    IMPOTENT    TO 
THE    FREE. 

To  the  free  and  independent,  the  menaces  of  any 
man  are  perfectly  impotent. 

THE  MISERY  OF   THE  VANQUISHED  IN   CIVIL    WARS. 

In  civil  wars  these  are  always  the  results,  that 
the  conquered  must  not  only  submit  to  the  will  of 
the  victor,  but  must  obey  those  who  have  aided  in 
obtaining  the  victory. 

THE   FIRST   APPROACHES   OF   FRIENDSHIP   ARE 
IMPORTANT. 

In  the  formation  of  new  friendships  it  is  of 
importance  to  attend  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
approaches  are  made,  and  by  whose  means  the 
avenues  of  friendship  (if  I  may  so  express  myself) 
are  laid  open. 

TO   BE   PRAISED   BY  ONE   PRAISED   BY   ALL   THE 
WORLD. 

I  am  delighted   to   be  praised   by  one  who   is 
praised  by  all  the  world. 
0 


130  CICERO. 

A  MAN  WITHOUT  GUILE. 

A  man  without  guile  and  deceit. 

THE   POPULACE. 

The  hungry  and  wretched  proletarians,  those 
city  leeches  that  suck  dry  the  public  treasury. 

CONVERSATION  IN    PRIVATE   HOUSES. 

Conversation  in  private  meetings  and  dinner 
parties  is  more  unreserved. 

VENGEANCE. 

I  hate  and  shall  continue  to  hate,  the  man; 
would  that  I  could  take  vengeance  on  him !  But 
his  own  shameless  manners  will  be  a  sufficient 
punishment. 

So  Romans  xii.  19: — 

"  Dearly  beloved,  avenge  not  yourselves,  but  rather  give 
place  unto  wrath:  for  it  is  written,  Vengeance  is  mine;  I  will 
repay,  saith  the  Lord." 

SADDLING  THE  WRONG  HORSE. 

The  pack-saddle  has  been  put  on  the  ox. 

THE   CAUSES  OF   EVENTS. 

The  causes  of  events  always  excite  me  more 
than  the  events  themselves. 

THERE   IS   HOPE   WHILE   THERE   IS   LIFE. 

While  there  is  life,  there  is  hope. 

So  Psalm  ix.  18:— 

"  The  expectation  of  the  poor  shall  not  perish  forever." 
Theocritus  (Idyl.  iv.  1.  42)  says: — 

"  There  are  hooes  in  the  living,  but  the  dead  are  without 
hope." 

And  Gay  ("  The  sick  Man  and  the  Angel ")  says:— 
"  '  While  there's  life,  there's  hope,'  he  cried." 
The  idea  is  also  thus  expressed—"  Dum  spiro,  spero." 


CICERO.  131 

THE  COMMAND  OF  THE  SEA  GIVES  SUPREME  POWER. 

His  plan  is  evidently  that  of  Themistocles,  for 
he  thinks  that  he  who  gains  the  command  of  the 
sea  must  obtain  supreme  power. 

A   GOOD   CONSCIENCE. 

During  the  whole  of  our  life  we  ought  not  to  de- 
part a  nail's  Lreadth  from  a  pure  conscience. 

So  Acts  xxi.  1C:— 

"  And  herein  do  I  exercise  myself,  to  have  always  a  con- 
science void  of  offence  toward  God  and  toward  men." 


Tli ere  has  never  been  a  poet  who  thought  any 
one  else  superior  to  himself. 

TO-MORROW. 

To-morrow  will  give  something  as  food  for 
thought. 

CHANGE   OF  PLAN. 

No  wise  man  has  ever  said  that  change  of  plan 
is  inconstancy. 

THE   VIRTUOUS    ARE   NOT   SUSPICIOUS. 

For  the  more  virtuous  any  man  is,  the  less  easily 
does  he  suspect  others  to  be  vicious. 

THE   JUDGMENTS   OF   POSTERITY. 

The  judgment  of  those  who  come  after  us  is 
truer,  because  it  is  freed  from  feelings  of  envy 
and  malevolence. 

HYPOCRISY  IN    MOST   MEN. 

For  every  man's  nature  is  concealed  with  many 
folds  of  disguise*  and  covered  as  it  were  with  va- 
rious veils.  His  brows,  his  eyes,  and  very  often 


132  CLAUJJIAN. 

his  countenance  are  deceitful,  and  his  speech  is 
most  commonly  a  lie. 

THE    EVILS   WHICH   AIIE   BORNE    WITH   MOST   PAIN. 

Men  ought  to  tear  with  greatest  difficulty  those 
things  which  must  be  borne  from  their  own  fault. 

BAILINGS  AND  ABUSIVE  LANGUAGE. 

While  railing  and  abusive  language  are  alto- 
gether unworthy  of  men  of  letters  and  of  gentle- 
manly feeling,  they  are  not  less  unsuitable  to  high 
rank  and  dignified  behavior. 

SIOROSENESS  AND  PASSIONATENESS. 

While  passionateness  is  the  mark  of  a  weak  and 
silly  mind  in  the  daily  intercourse  of  private  life, 
so  also  there  is  nothing  so  out  of  place  as  to  ex- 
hibit moroseness  of  temper  in  high  command. 

SELF-LOVE. 

How  much  in  love  with  himself,  and  that  with- 
out a  rival. 


CLAUDIAN. 

FLOURISHED  ABOUT  A.D.  400. 

CLAUDIUS  CLAUDIANUS,  a  Latin  poet,  flourished 
during  the  reigns  of  Theodosius  and  his  sons  Ho- 
norius  and  Arcadius,  A.D.  395-408.  He  was  cer- 
tainly a  native  of  Alexandria  in  Egypt,  as  he  him- 
self alludes  to  the  fact,  though  some  assert  that 
he  was  born  in  Gaul  or  Spain.  We  have  no  inf  or- 
9 


CL  AUDI  Ay.  133 

mation  respecting  his  education,  and  little  regard- 
ing the  circumstances  of  his  life.  We  know  that 
he  spent  much  time  at  Rome,  and  that  he  ac- 
companied Stilicho  the  general  of  Arcadius,  to  the 
North  of  Italy.  Many  of  his  poems  are  in  praise 
of  Stilicho,  whose  favor  and  protection  he  en- 
joyed. At  Rome  he  acquired  such  reputation  that 
the  senate  ordered  a  statue  to  be  erected  to  his 
honor,  and  in  the  inscription,  which  was  found  in 
the  twelfth  centuiy,  compared  him  to  Virgil  and 
Homer.  Though  in  some  of  his  writings  he 
speaks  favorably  of  the  Christian  religion,  there 
seems  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  was  a  pagan, 
lie  left  a  number  of  poems,  partly  epic,  partly 
panegyric,  partly  lyric.  His  largest  work  is  enti- 
tled "De  Raptu  Proserpince,"  in  three  books,  but 
it  is  unfinished. 

A  BEGGAR   OX   HORSEBACK. 

Nothing  is  more  unendurable  than  a  low-born 
man  raised  to  high  estate. 

WE   PITY   THOSE   WHO    SUFFER   LIKE   OURSELVES. 

All  feel  pity  for  those  like  themselves. 

GREAT   POWER   REQUIRES   TO   BE    ADMINISTERED 
WITH    A    FIRM    HAND. 

The  administration  of  public  affairs  requires  a 
stern  heart. 

THE   CAUTIOUS   SAILOR. 

The  cautious  sailor  sees  long  before   the  ap- 
proach of  the  south-west  wind. 

REPENTANCE  AT  POINT  OF  DEATH. 

What  use  to  confess  our  faults  at  the  moment 


134  CLA  UDIAN. 

the  vessel  is  sinking  ?  What  use  are  tears  which 
follow  the  sins  we  have  committed  ? 

HOW   BLIND   MEN   ARE    TO    THE    RESULTS   OF 
VICIOUS    CONDUCT. 

•  How  blind  to  consequences  is  the  love  of  vicious 
indulgence!  The  future  is  disregarded;  the  pres- 
ent allures  us  to  a  short-lived  enjoyment,  and  lust, 
forgetful  of  future  suffering,  hurries  us  along  the 
forbidden  path. 

MEN   EASILY  RETURN   TO   THEIR  ORIGINAL  HABITS. 

Nature  easily  reverts  to  her  original  habits. 

WHAT   WILL   NOT  TIME   CHANGE  ? 

What  will  not  length  of  time  be  able  to  change  ? 

THE   RIGHTEOUS   AND   THE   WICKED. 

Hence  let  ages  learn  that  there  is  nothing  insu- 
perable to  the  good  or  safe  to  the  bad. 

VIRTUE    CONCEALED. 

Virtue  when  it  is  concealed  is  worthless. 

HONORABLE    CONDUCT. 

Restrain  your  feelings,  and  consider  not  what 
you  may  do,  but  what  it  will  become  you  to  have 
done,  and  let  the  sense  of  honor  restrain  your  con- 
duct. 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  500,  51.)  says:— 

"  Honorable  habits  are  a  most  valuable  possession/' 

THE   LIGHT   OF  FATE. 

The  bright  light  of  fate  leaves  nothing  con- 
cealed. 


CLAUDIAN.  135 

CLEMENCY. 

Clemency  alone  makes  us  equal  -with  the  gods. 

HOW   THE   PEOPLE   MAY  T!E    MADE   OBSERVANT   OF 
JUSTICE. 

The  people  become  more  observant  of  justice, 
and  do  not  refuse  to  sul  mit  io  the  laws,  when 
they  see  the  enactor  of  them  obeying  his  own 
enactments. 

THE   EXAMPLE   OF    THE   REIGNING   PRINCE. 

The  people  follow  the  example  of  their  prince, 
and  laws  have  less  influence  in  moulding  their 
lives  than  the  model  which  his  life  exhibits. 

THE     FICKLE    PEOPLE. 

The  fickle  populace  always  change  with  the 
opinions  of  the  prince. 

PRIDE. 

The  noblest  conduct  is  stained  by  the  addition 
of  pride. 

VIRTUE   IS   ITS    OWN    REWARD. 

Virtue  indeed  is  its  own  reward. 

VIRTUE. 

Virtue  desires 'no  foreign  aid;  cares  not  for 
praise;  is  full  of  life  by  her  own  resources;  not  to 
be  moved  by  any  of  the  chances  of  life;  looks 
down  on  the  affairs  of  mortals  from  her  seat  aloft. 

REASON,    NOT   PASSION,    OUGHT    TO   GUIDE    MAN. 

That  man  apj  roaches  the  gods,  who  is  ruidcd 
by  reason  and  not  by  passion,  and  who,  weighing 
the  facts,  can  proportion  the  punishment  with 
discretion. 


HOW   A   KINGDOM   OUGHT   TO   BE   GOVERN  HI). 

Power  will  accomplish  more  by  gentle  than  by 
violent  means,  and  calmness  will  best  enforce  the 
imperial  mandates. 

NO    MAX    PERFECT. 

The  man  who  is  fair  in  face,  is  often  of  a  dark 
dye  in  morals;  he  who  is  fair  in  mind,  is  deformed 
in  body;  this  man  is  distinguished  in  war,  but  in 
private  life  is  disgraced  by  his  vices. 

MAX   OF    HONOR. 

He  cherished  lofty  thoughts  from  his  boyhood, 
and  his  high  fortune  threw  its  shadow  before 
from  his  earliest  years.  Of  an  erect  and  bold 
spirit,  he  aimed  at  mighty  objects,  and  was  no 
flatterer  of  the  great. 

THE   EFFECT    OF    A   RULER'S    EXAMPLE. 

Doubtless  the  example  set  by  rulers  insinuates 
itself  into  the  common  herd. 

AVARICE. 

Avarice,  the  mother  of  every  wickedness,  which, 
always  thirsting  for  more,  gapes  for  gold  with  open 
jaws. 

Bion  says:— 

"  The  love  of  money,  the  mother  of  every  crime." 

1  Timothy  vi.  10:  — 

"  For  the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil." 

LUXURY. 

Nor  have  you  been  led  astray  by  luxury,  that 
alluring  pest  with  fair  forehead,  which,  yielding 
always  to  the  will  of  the  tody,  throws  a  deadening 
influence  over  the  senses,  and  weakens  the  limbs 
more  than  tlje  drugs  of  Circe's  cup. 


CLA  UDIAN.  137 

A  PIOUS  KING. 

That  man  is  deceived  who  thinks  it  slavery  to 
live  under  a  noble  prince.  Liberty  never  appears 
in  a  more  gracious  form  than  under  a  pious  prince. 

HEAVEN   NOT   ALWAYS   AT   PEACE. 

Nor  is  heaven  always  at  peace. 

EXCESSIVE   FURY  FAILS  IN  ITS  OBJECT. 

But  excessive  fury  fails  in  its  object;  the  joy  of 
the  wicked  never  lasts  long. 

DEATH    LEVELS   ALL   THINGS. 

Death  levels  all  things. 

COMMON   THINGS   AFFECT   US   LESS. 

Common  calamities  affect  us  more  slightly. 

THE    SLIPPERY    NATURE    OF    YOUTH. 

Alas,  the  slippery  nature  of  tender  youth ! 

ENVY. 

Nothing  can  allay  the  rage  of  biting  envy. 

THE   LOVES   OF   PLANTS. 

Leaves  live  only  to  enjoy  love,  and  throughout 
the  forest  every  tree  is  luxuriating  in  affectionate 
embrace;  palm,  as  it  nods  to  palm,  joins  in  mutual 
love;  the  poplar  sighs  for  the  poplar;  plane  whis- 
pers to  plane,  and  alder  to  alder. 


138  COLUMELLA. 

COLUMELLA. 

FLOURISHED   A.D.  70. 

L.  Juxirs  MODEKATUS  CoLUMEi,LA,  a  celebrated 
writer  on  agriculture,  was  a  native  of  Gades  in 
Spain,  and  was  the  contemporary  of  Seneca,  the 
philosopher,  who  died  A.D.  62  in  the  reign  of  Nero. 
He  was  the  friend  of  Cornelius  Celsus,  the  author 
of  a  book  on  medicine,  and  who  also  wrote  on  ag- 
riculture. The  work  of  Columella  is  entitled  De 
lie  Rustica,  and  is  contained  in  twelve  books.  He 
begins  by  supposing  that  a  person  is  inclined  to  in- 
vest his  money  in  land,  and  points  out  the  various 
circumstances  that  ought  to  be  considered  in  mak- 
ing a  selection.  The  healthiness  of  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  the  sufficiency  of  water,  are  two 
main  points  to  be  regarded.  He  next  thinks  it 
necessary  to  give  some  advice  respecting  the  qual- 
ities of  the  servants  and  slaves,  who  ought  to  be  em- 
ployed in  its  cultivation.  He  then  enumerates  the 
various  kinds  of  soil,  seeds,  manure,  the  proper 
mode  of  reaping  and  thresh  ing  the  grain.  He  gives 
a  detailed  account  of  everything  connected  with 
the  vine  and  various  kinds  of  fruit-trees.  All  the 
different  varieties  of  domestic  animals  are  careful- 
ly enumerated,  with  their  diseases  and  remedies. 
The  tenth  book,  on  the  cultivation  of  gardens,  is 
in  hexameter  verse.  We  possess  also  a  work  on 
trees,  De  Arboribus,  which  seems  to  have  been  a 
part  of  a  larger  work. 

WHAT  IS  MOST  IMPORTANT  IX  AXV  lil'SIXESS. 

The  most  important  part  in  every  affair  is  to 
know  what  is  to  be  done. 


QUINTUS' CURTIUS  RUFUS.  139 

PRACTICE   AND   EXPERIENCE. 

Practice  and  experience  are  of  the  greatest  mo- 
ment in  arts,  and  there  is  no  kind  of  occupation  in 
which  men  may  not  learn  by  their  abortive  at- 
tempts. 

MASTER'S  EYE. 

He  allows  very  readily  that  the  eyes  and  foot- 
steps of  the  master  are  things  most  salutary  to  the 
land. 

HIS   OWX  TO   EACH. 

We  have  assigned  his  own  to  each. 


QUINTUS  CURTIUS  RUFUS. 

FLOURISHED   ABOUT   A.D.  150. 

QUTXTUS  CURTIUS  RUFUS,  the  Roman  historian 
of  Alexander  the  Great,  seems  to  have  lived  dur- 
ing the  first  or  second  century,  but  we  have  no 
means  of  fixing  the  precise  period,  nor  indeed  do 
we  know  anything  of  his  personal  history. 

'i 

A   COUNSELLOR  OUGHT    TO   ADVISE   WITH    SAFETY. 

No  one  ought  to  pay  for  foolish  advice  with  his 
life.  Counsellors  would  be  wanting  if  there  were 
danger  in  giving  advice. 

THE  CAUSE  OF   POVERTY. 

Honesty  is  the  cause  of  poverty  to  many. 


140  QU1NTUS  CURTIU&  KUFUS. 

THE    RESULTS    OF    FEAR. 

Fear  makes  men  prone  to  believe  the  worst. 

NECESSITY. 

Necessity,  when  threatening,  is  more  powerful 
than  every  art. 

THOSE   WHO  TRUST  IX    FORTUNE. 

Those  whom  Fortune  has  induced  to  trust  to  her, 
she  makes  in  a  great  measure  rather  desirous  of 
glory  than  able  to  seize  it. 

So  Psalm  bdi.  10:— 

"  If  riches  increase,  set  not  your  heart  upon  them." 

THE   EFFECTS  OF  SUPERSTITION. 

Nothing  has  more  power  over  the  multitude 
than  superstition:  in  other  respects  powerless,  fe- 
rocious, fickle,  when  it  is  once  captivated  by  su- 
perstitious notions,  it  obeys  its  priests  better  than 
its  leaders. 

THE  TRUE  AND  FALSE. 

When  the  truth  cannot  be  clearly  made  out,  what 
is  false  is  increased  through  fear. 

A  COMFORT  IN   MISFORTUNE. 

It  is  often  a  comfort  in  misfortune  to  know  our 
fate. 

REASON. 

Nothing  can  be  lasting  where  reason  does  not 
rule. 

THE   VICISSITUDES   OF  HUMAN   AFFAIRS. 

The  fashions  of  human  affairs  are  short  and 


QUINTUS  CURTIUS  RUFUS.  141 

changeable,  and  fortune  never  remains  long   in- 
dulgent to  men. 


When  fear  has  seized  upon  the  mind,  man  fears 
that  only  which  he  first  began  to  fear. 

HOW   WAR  IS   CARRIED   OK. 

Wars  are  carried  on  with  the  sword,  not  with 
gold;  by  men,  not  by  the  houses  of  cities;  every- 
thing belongs  to  the  soldiers. 

NECESSITY   AND   DESPAIR. 

Necessity  rouses  from  sloth,  and  despair  is  often 
the  cause  of  hope. 

HABIT   MORE   POWERFUL   THAN   NATUEE. 

Habit  is  more  powerful  than  nature. 

EVERYTHING   PREDESTINATED. 

For  my  own  part  I  am  persuaded  that  every- 
thing advances  by  an  unchangeable  law  through 
the  eternal  constitution  and  association  of  latent 
causes,  which  have  been  long  before  predesti- 
nated. 

A   SMALL,   SPARK. 

Often  has  a  small  spark  if  neglected  raised  a 
great  conflagration. 

THE   COUNTRY   OF   THE   BRAVE. 

Wherever  the  brave  man  chooses  his  abode,  that 
is  his  country. 

MISFORTUNE. 

Misfortune  is  evil-tempered,  and  he  who  is  real- 


V 


142  QUIETUS  CUKTIUS  RUFUS. 

ly  guilty,  when  he  is  tormented  by  his  own  pun- 
ishment, feels  pleasure  in  that  of  another. 

THE   WICKED. 

When  the  wicked  cannot  sleep  from  the  stings 
of  conscience,  it  is  because  the  furies  pursue 
them. 

THE   AFFAIRS   OF  OTHERS. 

Every  one  is  more  dull  in  his  own  affairs  than  in 
those  of  another. 

A  COWARDLY  CUR. 

A  cowardly  cur  barks  with  more  fierceness  than 
it  bites. 

DEEP  RIVERS. 

The  deepest  rivers  have  the  least  sound. 
Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VI."  PartH.  act.  iii.  scene  l)says: — 
"  Smooth  runs  the  water  where  the  brook  is  deep." 

THE   SINS  OF    OUR   FATHERS. 

Posterity  pay  for  the  sins  of  their  fathers. 

So  Exodus  xxxiv.  7: — 

"  Visiting  the  iniquities  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children,  and 
upon  the  children's  children,  unto  the  third  and  to  the  fourth 
generation." 

THE  FOOL. 

He  is  a  fool  who  looks  up  to  the  fruit  of  lofty 
trees  and  measures  not  their  height. 

So  2  Thessalonians  iii.10:— 

"  If  any  would  not  work,  neither  should  he  eat." 

DANGER  EVEN  FROM  THE  WEAKEST. 

Nothing  is  so  strong  but  may  be  endangered 
eve»  by  the  weakest. 


EXNIUS.  143 

VIRTUE. 

Nature  has  placed  nothing  so  high  that  virtue 
cannot  reach. 

THE   FOOLISH   CONDUCT   OF   MAN. 

Nature  has  paid  slight  attention  to  the  formation 
of  man's  mind,  inasmuch  as  we  generally  think  not 
so  much  on  the  future  as  the  past. 

KINDNESS. 

That  is  no  lasting  possession  which  we  gain  by 
the  sword  :  gratitude  for  kindnesses  is  eternal. 

THE   ENVIOUS   A  TORMENT   TO   THEMSELVES. 

The  envious  are  only  a  torment  to  themselves. 

So  James  iv.  2: — 

"  Ye  lust  and  have  not:  ye  kill,  and  desire  to  have,  and  can- 
not obtain.  " 

DESPAIR. 

Despair,  a  great  incentive  to  dying  with  honor, 

PROSPERITY. 

Prosperity  is  ahle  to  change  the  nature  of  man, 
and  seldom  is  any  one  cautious  enough  to  resist 
the  effects  of  high  fortune. 


ENNIUS. 

BORN  B.C.  239 — DIED  B.C.  169. 

Q.  ENNIUS,  a  poet  of  Hhudise  in  Calabria,  was 
born  B.C.  239,  two  years  after  the  conclusion  of 
the  first  Punic  war  (Str.  vi.  281,  Gell.  xvii.  9.\). 


144  ENNIUS. 

He  is  said  to  have  been  descended  from  one  of 
those  petty  princes  who  once  ruled  over  this  por- 
tion of  Italy,  but  we  hear  of  him  first  B.C.  204, 
when  ho  was  thirty-live  years  of  age,  serving  as  a 
soldier  in  Sardinia,  where  he  attracted  the  notice 
of  Cr.to  the  censor,  at  that  time  commander  of  the 
island.  Ly  him  he  was  brought  to  Koine  (Xep. 
Cat.  i.  Euscb.),  where  his  high  character  and  lit- 
erary attainments  introduced  him  to  the  notice  of 
the  distinguished  characters  of  that  age.  Scipio 
the  Elder  was  his  intimate  friend  (Cic.  Arch.  i)). 
He  passed  into  2Etolia,  B.C.  189,  with  the  consul 
Fulvius  Flaccus,  to  whose  care  the  war  in  that 
country  was  entrusted  (Arch.  11).  He  seems, 
however,  to  have  returned  to  Home,  where  he  died 
of  gout  B.C.  1G9,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age 
(Sen.  5,  Br.  20).  Scipio,  before  he  died,  had  ex- 
pressed a  wish  that  their  bodies  should  rest  in  the 
same  grave,  and  we  know  that  a  statue  was  erected 
to  his  honor  on  the  tomb  of  the  Scipios.  Ennius 
must  be  considered  as  the  father  of  Roman  epie 
poetry,  and  the  eminent  services  he  performed  for 
the  literature  of  Rome  were  fully  appreciated  by 
ancient  writers.  Throughout  his  works  there  ran 
a  strain  of  noble  and  passionate  feeling;  the  lan- 
guage, though  sometimes  rough  and  unpolished, 
was  full  of  power  and  even  of  sublimity:  the. 
structure  of  the  verse  was  more  regular  than  that 
in  which  his  predecessors  had  sung.  The  princi- 
pal work,  of  which  we  have  numerous  fragments, 
was  the  Anncile*,  an  epic  poem  in  eighteen  books, 
in  which  Ennius  sang  the  history  of  Rome  from 
its  foundation  till  his  own  times.  In  another 
work,  written  in  catalectic  tetrameter,  he  had  cel- 
ebrated the  deeds  of  the  Elder  Scipio.  Besides, 
he  had  composed  satires  and  other  minor  poems, 
which  seem,  however,  to  have  been  rather  trans- 


EXNIUS.  145 

lations  from  Greek  writers.  Edesphdgcticx.  or  Pha- 
yctica,  in  hexameter  verse,  a  gastronomic  poem  in 
imitation  of  Archestratus;  Epichannux,  a  didactic 
poem  on  the  nature  of  things,  from  the  Greek  of 
Epicharmus ;  a  Latin  prose  translation  of  the  Greek 
work  of  Euhemerus  on  the  gods,  and  several  other 
smaller  works.  The  fragments  of  Ennius  were 
published  by  Columna,  Napl.  1590,  and  those  of 
Annales  by  Spaugenberg,  Leips.  1825. 

THE   ANSWER-   OF   PYEBHUS. 

"  I  ask  no  gold  for  the  captives,  nor  shall  you 
give  me  a  ransom;  we  are  not  making  a  gainful 
trade  of  war;  but,  quitting  ourselves  like  men,  let 
us  determine  which  of , us  shall  live  with  the  sword 
and  not  with  gold.  Let  us  try  by  valor  whether 
dame  Fortune  wishes  you  or  me  to  live  and  what 
fate  she  brings:  and  hear  this,  too,  I  am  resolved 
to  give  liberty  to  those  whom  the  fortune  of  war 
has  spared;  I  present  them,  take  them  away,  I 
give  them  with  the  will  of  the  great  gods."  Sen- 
timents truly  royal,  and  worthy  of  the  race  of  the 
^Eacidse. 

We  find  in  Judges  v.  19  a  similar  expression:— 
"  The  kings  came  and  fought    .    .    .    they  took  no  gain  of 
money." 

THE   ROMAN   COMMONWEALTH. 

The  Roman  commonwealth  is  firmly  stablished 
on  ancient  customs  and  heroes. 

Of  this  verse  Cicero  (De  Rep.  v.  i.}  says:— 
'•  Ve!  brevitate,  vel  veritate,  tamquam  ex oraculo  mihi quo- 
dam  esse  efTatus  videtur." 

TRUE   LIBERTY. 

That  is  true  liberty  which  has  a  pure  and  firm 
breast. 
10 


146  HORACE. 

So  Romans  viii.  2:— 

"  For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made 
me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." 


BOHN   B.C.   0.;— DIED  B.C.  8. 


Q.  HORATIUS  FLACCCS,  son  of  a  freeclman,  was 
born  at  Venusia,  on  the  confines  of  Apulia  and 
Lucania,  on  the  8th  December  B.C.  65.  His  father 
was  a  collector  of  indirect  taxes  at  sales  by  auc- 
tion, and  with  the  profits  of  this  office  he  had  pur- 
chased a  small  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ve- 
nusia, where  the  poet  was  bom.  Dissatisfied  with 
the  education  to  Le  procured  at  this  village,  he 
carried  his  son,  probably  about  his  twelfth  year, 
to  Eome,  to  receive  the  usual  education  of  a 
knight's  or  senator's  son.  Horace  speaks  always 
in  the  highest  terms  of  his  father's  care  in  saving 
him  from  the  dangers  and  temptations  of  a  disso- 
lute capital,  keeping  him  not  only  free  from  vice, 
but  from  the  suspicion  of  it.  Horace  proceeded 
in  his  eighteenth  year  on  a  visit  to  Athens,  where 
he  was  found  by  Brutus,  and  induced  to  join  the 
Republican  party.  The  battle  of  Philippi,  n.c.  42, 
put  an  end  to  his  military  career,  and  he  withdrew 
at  once  from  what  his  sagacity  felt  to  be  a  des- 
perate cause.  Having  obtained  his  pardon,  he 
returned  to  Rome  with  the  loss  of  his  paternal 
estate,  but  he  seems  to  have  saved  enough  to  buy 
a  clerkship  in  the  quaestor's  office,  with  the  profits 
of  which  he  managed  to  live  with  the  utmost  fru- 
gality. He  was  introduced  by  the  poets  Varius 


HORACE.  147 

and  Yirgil  to  Maecenas,  and  was  admitted  after  a 
short  interval  to  his  intimate  friendship.  Mae- 
cenas bestowed  upon  the  poet  a  Sabine  farm, 
sufficient  to  maintain  him  in  comfort  and  ease. 
This  estate  indeed  was  not  extensive,  but  it  pro- 
duced corn,  olives,  and  vines,  being  surrounded 
by  pleasant  and  shady  woods.  From  this  time 
Ms  life  glided  away  in  enjoyable  repose,  mingling 
with  the  intellectual  society  of  a  luxurious  capital. 
He  died  on  the  17th  November  B.C.  8,  aged  nearly 
fifty-seven  years,  being  buried  on  the  slope  of  the 
Esquiline  hill,  close  to  his  friend  and  patron 
Maecenas,  who  had  died  before  him  in  the  same 
year. 

A  POET'S  VANITY. 

So  proud  am  I  of  thy  approbation,  that  I  shall 
strike  my  head  against  the  starred  clusters  of 
heaven. 

This  idea  is  constantly  recurring  both  in  Greek  and  Roman 
•writers.  Thus  Euripides  (Bacch.  972):— 

"  So  that  thou  shalt  find  fame  that  reaches  heaven." 
Aristophanes  (450): — 

"  Thou  shalt  have  fame  high  as  heaven  itself." 
Propertius  (i.  8,  43):— 

"  Now  I  may  enjoy  the  highest  fortune." 
And  even  Cicero  introduces  the  idea,  sneering  at  the  chiefs 
of  the  state  (Ad.  Att.  2,  1):— 

"  The  chiefs  of  the  state  think  that  they  can  touch  heaven 
with  their  finger." 

We  may  add  the  following  passage  from  Wordsworth's 
Sonnet  on  "  Personal  Talk:  "— 

"  Blessings  be  with  them  and  eternal  praise, 
Who' give  us  nobler  loves  and  nobler  cares: 
The  poets  who  on  earth  have  made  us  heira 
Of  truth  and  pure  delight  by  heavenly  lays! 
Oh  might  my  name  be  numbered  among  theirs, 
Then  gladly  would  I  end  my  mortal  days." 


148  HORACE. 

"  GOD  SAVE   THE   KING." 

May  thy  return  to  heaven  be  far  distant,  and 
long  may  thy  reign  fill  this  mighty  empire  with 
blessings. 

Ovid  (Trist.  v.  2,  51)  expresses  the  same  idea  very  beauti- 
fully:— 

"So  mayst  thou  dwell  on  earth,  so  may  heaven  long  have 
cause  to  be  longing  for  thy  presence;  so  mayst  thou  go  at 
some  far  distant  day  to  the  sky,  thy  predestined  place." 

PRESUMPTION  OF   MANKIND. 

Presumptuous  man,  ready  to  face  every  danger, 
rushes  on  to  crimes  of  deepest  dye  forbidden  by 
the  laws  of  nature. 

Seneca  (Q.  N.  iv.  Prsef.  ad  finem)  speaks  to  the  same  effect 
quoting  from  the  poet  Menander: — 

"  Who  is  there  that  has  not  risen  up  with  all  his  powers  of 
mind  to  withstand  such  conduct,  hating  with  a  perfect  hatred 
this  unanimity  of  mankind  to  do  all  wickedness  greedily?  Me- 
nander says:  None  are  righteous,  no,  not  one,  excepting  nei- 
ther young  nor  old,  woman  nor  man,  and  adding  that  not 
merely  individuals  or  a  few  have  gone  astray,  but  wickedness 
has  covered  all,  as  doth  a  garment." 

BOLDNESS   OF   MAN. 

Nothing  is  too  high  for  the  daring  of  mortals : 
we  storm  heaven  itself  in  our  folly. 

This  character  of  man  is  beautifully  bodied  forth  in  a  frag- 
ment of  the  poet  Rhianus,  who  flourished  about  B.C.  222  (Anal. 
Br.  i.  p.  470):— 

"  Man  forgets  why  he  treads  the  ground  with  his  feet,  and 
with  arrogancy  of  spirit  and  wicked  thought  speaks  authori- 
tatively like  Jupiter,  or  is  devising  some  path  to  heaven,  that 
he  may  revel  as  one  of  the  immortals." 

And  Pindar  (Istlnn.  vii.  61)  says: — 

"  If  a  man  looks  steadily  into  the  future,  he  will  feel  that  he 
is  too  weak  in  himself  to  reach  the  brazen  seats  of  the  gods.1' 

Shakespeare  ("  Measure  for  Measure,"  act  ii.  sc.  2)  says:— 


HORACE.  149 

"  But  man,  proud  manl 
Dress'd  in  a  little  brief  authority; 
Most  ignorant  of  what  he's  most  assured. 
His  glassy  essence— like  an  angry  ape, 
Plays  such  fantastic  tricks  before  high  heaven, 
As  make  the  angels  weep." 

DEATH. 

Pale  Death  enters  with  impartial  step  the  cot- 
tages of  the  poor  and  the  palaces  of  the  rich. 

Donne  speaks  of  this  equality  in  death:  "Death  comes 
equally  to  us  all,  and  makes  us  all  equal,  when  it  comes.  The 
ashes  of  an  oak  in  a  chimney  are  no  epitaph  of  that,  to  tell  me 
how  high  or  how  large  that  was ;  it  tells  me  not  what  flocks  it 
sheltered  while  it  stood,  nor  what  men  it  hurt  when  it  fell. 
The  dust  of  great  persons'  graves  is  speechless  too;  it  says 
nothing,  it  distinguishes  nothing.  As  soon  the  dust  of  a 
wretch  whom  thou  wouldst  not,  as  of  a  prince  whom  thou 
couldst  not  look  upon,  will  trouble  thine  eyes,  if  the  wind  blow 
it  thither;  and  when  the  whirlwind  hath  blown  the  dust  of 
the  churchyard  into  the  church,  and  the  man  sweeps  out  the 
dust  of  the  church  into  the  churchyard,  who  will  undertake  to 
sift  those  dusts  again,  and  to  pronounce, '  This  is  the  patrician, 
this  is  the  noble  flour;  and  this  the  yeoman,  this  is  the  plebe" 
ian  bran.' " 

SHORTNESS    OF    LIFE. 

The  short  span  of  life  forbids  us  to  l:egin  schemes 
which  require  a  distant  future  for  their  accom- 
plishment. 

So  Shakespeare  (•'  Macbeth,"  act  v.  so.  5)  says:— 
"  Out,  out,  brief  candle  1 
Life's  but  a  walking  shadow." 

Simonides,  who  flourished  B.C.  450,  speaks  thus  of  the  weak- 
ness of  man  (Fragrn.  3 !,  S.):— 

"  Fleeting  i ;  the  strength  of  man,  and  vain  are  all  his  cares; 
for  a  brief  space  labor  succe3ds  labor,  but  inexorable 
death  impends:  for  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  have  one 
fate." 

SIMPLICITY  I2T   DEESS. 

Plain  in  thy  neatness. 


150  HORACE. 

This  idea  is  expressed  by  Ovid  (Fast.  xi.  7&4)  in  these 
words:— 

"  I  am  delighted  with  her  beauty,  her  fair  complexion,  and 
auburn  hair  and  the  gracefulness  of  her  person,  which  is  in- 
creased by  no  artifice." 

Ben  Jonson  ("  The  Silent  Woman,"  acti.  sc.  5)  has  the  same 
idea: — 

"  Give  me  a  look,  give  me  a  face, 
That  makes  simplicity  a  grace, 
Robes  loosely  flowing,  hair  as  free; 
Such  sweet  neglect  more  takctli  me, 
Than  all  the  adulteries  of  art; 
They  strike  mine  eyes  but  not  my  heart." 

We  may  refer  to  Milton's  description  of  Eve  ("Paradise 
Lost,"  b.  v.  1.  379)  :— 

"  But  Eve 

Undeck'd,  save  with  herself,  more  lovely  fair 
Than  wood-nymph,  or  the  fairest  goddess  feign'd 
Of  three  that  in  Mount  Ida  naked  strove, 
Stood  to  entertain  her  guest  from  heaven." 

NEVER  DESPAIR. 

You  must  never  despair  under  the  guidance  and 
auspices  of  Teucer. 

The  following  fragment  (Hyps.  9)  from  Euripides  has  the 
same  idea: — 

"  Nothing  is  to  be  despaired  of,  we  must  hope  all  things." 

EXJOY  THE   PRESENT. 

Shun  to  seek  what  is  hid  in  the  womb  of  the 
morrow,  and  set  down  as  gain  in  life's  ledger  what- 
ever time  fate  shall  have  granted  thee. 

Philetserus,  who  flourished  probably  about  B.C.  330,  speaks 
thus  in  one  of  his  fragments  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  Ed.  p.  042,  M.)  :— 

"  For  what,  pray,  ought  you,  short-lived  being  as  you  are, 
to  do  but  to  pass  your  time  day  by  day  in  pleasure,  and  not 
to  fret  yourself  as  to  what  will  be  to-morrow." 

And  Theocritus  (Idyl.  13,  4)  says:— 

"  We  are  mortals,  we  may  not  behold  to-morrow." 

P.  Doddridge  (•'  Epigram  on  his  Family  Motto  ")  says: — 
"  Live  while  you  live,  the  epicure  would  say, 
And  seize  the  pleasures  of  the  present  day; 


HORACE.  151 

Live  white  you  live,  the  sacred  preacher  cries, 
And  give  to  God  each  moment  as  it  flies." 
Milton  ("  Comus,"  362)  says:-— 

"  What  need  a  man  forestall  his  date  of  grief, 

And  run  to  meet  what  he  would  most  avoid?  " 
And  Isaac  Watts  says: — 

"  I  am  not  concerned  to  know 
What  to-morrow  fate  will  do; 
'Tis  enough  that  I  can  say 
I  've  possessed  myself  to-day." 

FLEETNESS   OF   TIME. 

How  much  better  is  it  to  submit  with  patience 
to  whatever  may  happen!  Whether  thou  art  to 
enjoy  many  winters  or  this  be  the  last,  which  is 
now  weakening  the  fury  of  the  Tuscan  waves  by 
being  dashed  on  the  resisting  rocks.  Be  wise,  ni- 
trate thy  wines,  and  curtail  distant  schemes  which 
the  brief  span  of  life  may  never  enable  thee  to  re- 
alize. While  we  are  talking,  envious  time  will  be- 
gone. Seize  the  present  moment,  trusting  as  lit- 
tle as  possible  to  the  morrow. 

This  idea  of  the  fleetness  of  time  is  a  favorite  with  poets  of 
all  nations.  Thus  Herrick,  "  To  the  Virgins  to  make  much  of 
Time"  (No.  33):— 

"  Gather  ye  rosebuds  while  ye  may, 

Old  Time  is  still  a-flying; 
And  this  same  flower,  that  smiles  to-day, 

To-morrow  will  be  dying. 
Chalmers,  the  preacher,  says:  — 

''Time,  with  its  mighty  strides,  will  soon  reach  a  future 
generation,  and  leave  the  present  in  death  and  in  forgetful- 
ness  behind  it." 
Moore  ("Irish  Melodies")  says: — 

"  This  moment's  a  flower  too  fair  and  brief." 
And  again : — 

"  Then  fill  the  bowl— away  with  gloom ! 
Our  joys  shall  always  Last : 
For  Hope  shall  brighten  days  to  come, 
And  Mem'ry  gild  the  past." 


152  HORACE. 

Congreve  says:— 

"  Defer  not  till  to-morrow  to  be  •wise, 

To-morrow's  sun  to  thee  may  never  rise." 
And  Gray : — 

"We  frolic  while  'tis  May." 
And  Solomon:— 

"  Let  us  crown  ourselves  with  rosebuds  before  they  be 
withered." 

GROWTH  OF  REPUTATION. 

The  fame  of  Marcellus  grows  imperceptibly  as  a 
tree  in  the  unmarked  lapse  of  time. 

The  gradual  and  imperceptible  growth  of  the  reputation  of 
a  virtuous  man  is  remarked  by  other  poets.  Thus  Pindar 
(Nem.  viii.  C8):— 

"  Virtuous  deeds  expand  gradually  before  the  world,  as  a 
tree  shoots  up  under  the  influence  of  the  freshening  dew." 

Homer  introduces  (II.  xviii.  50)  Thetis  thus  speaking  of 
Achilles:— 

"  He  sprung  up  rapidly,  like  a  plant:  I  having  brought  him 
up,  like  a  tree  in  a  fertile  fleM." 
And  Shakespeare  ("  Henry  V.,"  act  i.  sc.  1)  says: — 

"  Which  no  doubt 

Grew  like  the  summer  grass,  fastest  by  night, 
Unseen,  yet  creative  in  its  facult}-." 

"WEDDED    LOVE. 

Thrice  happy  and  more  are  those  who  are 
bound  by  an  iinbroken  chain  of  love,  and,  un- 
ruffled by  a  querulous  temper,  live  affectionately 
till  their  latest  hour. 

J.  Middleton  thus  speaks  of  the  delights  of  a  married  life: — 
"  What  a  delicious  breath  marriage  sends  forth— 
The  violet's  bed  not  sweeter!    Honest  wedlock 
Is  like  a  banqueting-house.  built  in  a  garden, 
On  which  the  spring  flowers  take  delight 
To  cast  their  modest  odors." 
Spenser  (."  Faery  Queen,"  i.  12,  3T)  says:— 

"  His  owne  two  hands  the  holy  knotts  did  knitt, 
That  none  but  death  for  ever  can  divide." 


HORACE.  153 

And  Thomson:— 

'•  Oh  happy  they!  the  happiest  of  their  kind ! 
Whom  gentler  stars  unite,  and  in  one  fate 
Their  hearts,  their  fortune,  and  their  beings  blend." 

RESOLUTE   IN   CONDUCT. 

Make-  every  effort  to  get  into  port  while  you 
may. 

ANGEB. 

Thy  wrath  control. 

Theognis  (335),  who  flourished  B.C.  544,  used  the  expression, 
Zoje  voov,  "  curb  thy  temper." 

WINE   AND    ITS    ADVANTAGES. 

\vlioever  prates  of  war  or  want  after  his  wine. 

This  idea  is  found  in  Theognis  (1129):-- 
"When  I  have    enjoyed   my  wine,  I  care   not    for    the 
anxieties  of  mind-racking  poverty." 
Burns  says:— 

"  John  Barleycorn  was  a  hero  bold, 

Of  noble  enterprise, 
For  if  you  do  but  taste  his  blood, 
'Twill  make  your  courage  rise ; 
'Twill  make  a  man  forget  his  woe, 
'Twill  heighten  all  his  joy." 

SELF-LOVE   AND   INDISCRETION. 

Blind  Self-love,  Vanity  lifting  aloft  her  empty 
head,  and  Indiscretion,  prodigal  of  secrets,  more 
transparent  than  glass,  follow  close  behind. 

INNOCENCE  OF    LIFE. 

The  man  whose  life  has  no  flaw,  pure  from 
guile,  needs  not  for  defence  either  Moorish  jave- 
lins, or  bow,  or  quiver  full  of  poisoned  arrows; 
though  his  path  be  along  the  burning  sands  of 
Africa,  or  over  the  inhospitable  Caucasus,  or  those 


154  HORACE. 

regions  which  Hydaspes  (the  Jhylum),  famed  in 
fable,  licks  languid-flowing. 

Milton  ("  Comus,"  421)  says:— 
"  She  that  has  that,  is  clad  in  complete  steel, 
And  like  a  quiver'd  Nymph,  with  arrows  keen, 
May  trace  huge  forests  and  unharbor'd  heaths, 
Infamous  hills,  and  sandy  perilous  wilds." 

DESCRIPTION   OF   FHIGID   AXD   TO1ZBII)   ZOXES. 

Place  me  lone  in  the  barren  wastes,  where  no 
tree  bursts  into  bloom  in  the  breezes  of  summer; 
mist-clad,  and  with  an  inclement  sky!  place  me 
lone  where  the  earth  is  denied  to  man's  dwelling, 
in  lands  too  neur  the  car  of  the  day-god,  I  still 
should  love  my  Lalage — behold  her  sweetly  smil- 
ing, hear  her  sweetly  talking. 

Sappho  (Fr.  2,  S.)  expresses  herself  much  to  the  same 
effect:— 

"  That  man  seems  to  me  to  be  like  the  gods,  who  sits  beside 
thee  and  hears  thee  sweetly  speaking  and  thy  winning  laugh : 
however  short  a  time  I  see  thee,  how  does  my  voice  fail  mel  " 
This  idea  is  found  in  Cowper's  "  Table  Talk  "  (1.  294):— 
"  Place  me  where  winter  breathes  his  keenest  air, 
And  I  will  sing,  if  Liberty  be  there; 
And  I  will  sing  at  Liberty's  dear  feet 
In  Afric's  torrid  clime,  or  India's  fiercest  heat." 

GEIEF  FOK  A  FKIEXD'S  DEATH. 

Why  should  we  be  ashamed  to  weep,  or  set 
bounds  to  our  regret  for  the  loss  of  so  dear  a 
friend  ?  Lead  off  with  plaintive  lays.  Melpomene, 
thou  who  hast  received  from  thy  father  a  tuneful 
voice  with  the  music  of  the  lyre.  Are  then  the 
eyes  of  Quinctilius  scaled  in  endless  sleep!  When 
will  modesty  and  unspotted  faith,  the  sister  of 
justice  and  unadorned  truth,  ever  find  an  equal  to 
him  ?  He  is  gone,  bewailed  by  many  good  men, 
by  none  more  than  by  thee,  O  Virgil. 


HORACE.  155 

Byron  thus  speaks  of  the  loss  of  friends: — 
"  Whac  is  the  worst  of  woes  that  wait  on  age  ? 

What  stamps  the  wrinkle  deeper  on  the  brow  ? 
To  view  each  loved  one  blotted  from  life's  page, 
And  be  alone  on  earth,  as  I  am  now. 
Before  the  Chastener  humbly  let  me  bow, 
O'er  hearts  divided,  and  o'er  hopes  destroyed." 
Moschus  (iii.  110)  thus  speaks  of  death: — 
"  We,  who  are  the  great,  the  powerful,  and  the  wise,  when 
we  are  dead,  without  hearing  in  hollow  earth,  sleep  soundly 
a  long,  endless  sleep,  without  waking.'' 
Montgomery  thus  alludes  to  loss  of  friends: — 
"  Friend  after  friend  departs,— 
Who  hath  not  lost  a  friend? 
There  is  no  union  here  of  hearts, 

That  finds  not  here  an  end." 

This  eulogy  of  Quinctilias  reminds  us  of  Ben  Jonson's  epi- 
taphs on  the  Countess  of  Pe.nbroke  and  Elizabeth  L.  H.  : — 

EPITAPH  ON  COUNTESS  OF  PEMBROKE. 

"  Underneath  this  marble  hearse 
Lies  the  subject  of  all  verse — 
Sidney's  sister,  Pembroke's  mother. 
Death,  ere  thou  hast  slain  another 
Learn'd  and  fair  and  good  as  she, 
Tune  shall  throw  his  danfc  at  thee."   . 

EPITAPH  ON  ELIZABETH  L.  H. 

"  Underneath  this  stone  doth  lie, 
As  much  bsauty,  as  could  die. 
Which  in  life-did  harbor  give 
•  To  more  virtus  than  doth  live." 

PATIENCE. 

It  is  hard  to  bear,  but  patience  renders  more 
tolerable  evils  to  which  we  can  apply  no  remedy. 

Archilochus,  in  a  fragment,  tlius  speaks  of  the  effect  of 
patience  (Fragm.  8,  S.):-' 

"  But,  my  fiiend,  the  gods  have  given  unyielding  patience 
as  a  medicine  for  incurable  evils." 

Pindar  says  somewhat  to  the  same  effect  (Pyth.  ii.  171): — 

"  It  eases  me  when  I  bear  with  patience  the  yoke  upon  my 
neck." 


100  HORACE. 

There  i.i  a  fragment  of  Sophocles  (Tereus,  xi.  2)  to  the  same 
effect  :— 

"  But  yet   it  is  proper  for  us,  miserable  mortals  as  we 
ore,  to  bear  patiently  what  is  inflicted  on  us  by  the  gods." 

Shakespeare  ("  Much   Ado   about  Nothing/'  act  v.  sc.  1) 
says:— 

"  Tis  all  men's  office  to  speak  patience 
To  those  that  wring  under  the  load  of  sorrow; 
But  no  man's  virtue,  nor  sufficiency, 
To  be  so  moral,  when  he  shall  endure 
The  like  himself." 

A  POET'S  FREEDOM  FROM  CARE. 

So  long  as  I  am  the  favorite  of  the  muses,  I  shall 
deliver  over  sadness  and  fears  to  be  wafted  by  the 
boisterous  winds  to  the  Cretan  sea. 

Homer  (Odyss.  viii.  403)  speaks  of  words  being  carried  off 
by  the  winds:— 

"  If  I  have  uttered  a  single  irritating  word,  may  the  winds 
take  it  up  and  hurry  it  off  immediately." 

Euripides  (Her.  Fur.  650)  says  somewhat  to  the  same  effect:— 

"  I  hate  old  age:  may  it  go  to  the  waves  and  be  drowned." 

Marlowe  ("  Lust's  Dominion  ")  says: — 

"  Are  these  your  fears:  thus  blow  them  into  air.' 

A  POET'S  POWER. 

Without  the  inspiration  of  the  muse  my  efforts 
as  a  poet  can  do  nothing. 

Virgil  (lEo.  ix.  446)  says  somewhat  to  the  same  effect:— 
"  Fortunate  both,  if  my  verses  have  any  power." 

Moschusiiii.  132)  says: — 

"  'f  I  possessed  any  power  of  song,  I  would  raise  my  voice 
in  presence  of  Pluto." 

DANGERS   OF   LOVE. 

Unhappy  youth!  how  art  thou  lost, 
In  what  a  sea  of  trouble  tost! 

Anaxilaus,  who  flourished  B.C.  300,  in  his  Neottis  (Athen. 
xiii.  5o8,  A.),  speaks  thus  feelingly  of  such  dangers:— 
"  The  man,  who  lias  ever  been  enamoured  of  a  mistress,  will 


HORACE.  157 

tell  you  that  there  is  no  race  more  full  of  wickedness.  For 
what  fearful  dragon,  what  Chimaera  vomiting  fire,  or  Cha- 
rybdis,  or  three-headed  Scylla,  that  sea-dog,  or  Sphinx,  or 
hydra,  or  serpent,  or  winged  harpy,  or  lioness  could  surpass 
in  voracity  that  execrable  race?  " 

PKAYER   FOK   HEALTH   AND   SOUNDNESS   OF    MIND. 

Son  of  Latona,  grant  me  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound 
body,  that  I  may  enjoy  what  I  possess,  and  not 
piss  a  dishonored  old  age  without  the  innocent 
pleasures  of  music. 

We  may  expect  that  such  a  prayer  as  this  would  be  not 
uncommon,  and  accordingly  we  find  it  in  a  fragment  of 
Menander  (Fr.  Com.  Or.,  p.  922,  31.):— 

"  Let  us  pray  to  all  the  Olympian  gods  and  goddesses  to 
grant  us  safety,  health,  many  blessings,  and  the  enjoyment 
of  what  we  now  possess." 

Cicero,  too  ( De  Ssnect.  20),  spaaks  feelingly  of  the  retention 
of  all  our  faculties  till  death:— 

"  This  is  the  best  close  of  life,  that  the  same  nature,  which 
has  formsd  us,  s'aould  bring  us  t3  an  end,  while  our  mind  is 
sound  and  all  our  faculties  in  full  play." 

In  Ecclesiastes  v.  19  we  find: — 

"  Every  man  also  to  whom  God  hath  given  riches  and 
wealth,  and  hath  given  power  to  eat  thereof,  and  to  take  his 
portion,  and  to  rejoice  in  his  labor:  this  is  the  gift  of  God." 

The  ancients  had  great  enjoyment  in  music,  thus  Euripides 
(Her.  Fur.  676)  says:— 

"  Never  may  1  live  without  the  pleasures  of  music,  and  ever 
may  I  be  crowned  as  a  poet.  Still  do  I,  an  aged  bard,  cele- 
brate Mnemosyne." 

Sir  W.  Temple  speaks  of  health  in  these  terms: — 

"  Socrates  used  to  say  that  it  was  pleasant  to  grow  old  with 
good  health  and  a  good  friend,  and  he  might  have  reason  :  a 
man  may  be  content  to  live  while  he  is  no  trouble  to  himself 
or  his  friends  ;  but  after  that,  it  is  hard  if  he  be  not  content  to 
die.  I  knew  and  esteemed  a  person  abroad,  who  used  to  say, 
a  man  must  be  a  mean  wretch  who  desired  to  live  after  three- 
score years  old.  But  so  much,  I  doubt,  is  certain,  that  in  life 
as  in  wine,  he  that  will  drink  it  good  must  not  drain  it  to  the 
dregs.  Therefore  men  in  the  health  and  vigor  of  their  age 
should  endeavor  to  fill  their  lives  with  reading,  with  travel, 
with  the  best  conversation  and  the  worthiest  actions,  either  in 


158  HORACE. 

public  or  private  stations,  that  they  may  have  something 
agreeable  to  feed  on  when  they  are  old,  by  pleasing  remem- 
brances." 

APOLLO'S  LYKK. 

Charming  shell,  grateful  to  the  feasts  of  Jove, 
thou  softener  of  every  anxious  care. 

This  reminds  us  of  what  Homer  (II.  i.  602)  says  of  the  lyre:— 
"  They  feasted  and  all  had  an  equal  share  of  the  feast,  enjoy- 
ing the  music  of  the  very  beautifi'l   lyre    on  which  Apollo 
played." 

Gray  ("  Elegy  in-a  Churchyard."  St.  12)  says:— 
•'  Hands  that  the  rod  of  empire  might  have  swayed, 

Or  waked  to  ecstasy  the  living  lyre." 
Milton  ("  Coinus,"  J.  476):  — 

"  How  charming  is  divine  philosophy! 
Not  harsh  and  crabbed,  as  dull  fools  suppose: 
But  musical  as  is  Apollo's  lute. 
And  a  perpetual  feast  of  nectar'd  sweets, 
Where  no  rude  surfeit  reigns." 

THE  CHANGES  OF   LIFE. 

God  can  raise  on  high  the  meanest  serf  and  bring 
low  the  proudest  noble.  Fortune,  swooping  with 
the  dash  of  an  eagle,  snatches  the  imperial  diadem 
from  this  man,  and  delights  to  place  it  on  the  head 
of  some  other. 

The  vicissitudes  of  the  life  of  man  was  a  common  theme  for 
the  poets. 

In  Homer  (Odyss.  xvi.  9.11)  we  have: — 

"  It  is  an  easy  task  for  the  gods,  who  rule  the 'wide  heaven, 
either  to  raise  or  cast  down  mortal  man." 

And,  again,  Archilochus  (Fr.  40,  S.): — 

"All  things  depend  on  the  gods;  often  do  they  raise  men 
from  misfortunes  who  are  reclining  on  the  dark  earth;  often 
do  they  throw  down  those  who  are  walking  proudly;  then 
many  evils  come,  and  they  wander  in  lack  of  food  and  out  of 
their  senses." 

And,  again,  Aristophanes  (Lysistr.  772): — 

"The  loud-thundering  Jupiter  shall  turn  things  upside 
down." 


HORACE.  159 

Spenser  ("  Faery  Queen  ")  says:— 
"  He  maketh  kings  to  sit  in  sovereignty; 
He  maketh  subjects  to  their  power  obey; 
He  pulleth  clown,  he  setteth  up  on  high; 
He  gives  to  this,  from  that  he  takes  away ; 
For  all  we  have  is  his:  what  he  will  do  he  may." 

FORTUXE   WORSHIPPED   BY   ALL. 

The  rude  Dacian,  the  roving  Scythian,  states 
and  races,  the  warlike  land  of  Latium,  the  mothers 
of  barbarian  kings  and  tyrants  clothed  in  purple, 
dread  thce,  lest  thou  with  scornful  foot  shouldst 
upset  the  stately  pillar  of  their  fortune;  or  lest  the 
swarming  rabble  arouse  the  lazy  citizens  to  arms! 
to  arms!  and  disturb  the  public  peace.  Stern  Ne- 
cessity ever  stalks  before  thee,  bearing,  in  her 
grasp  of  bronze,  huge  spikes  and  wedges;  the 
clenching  cramp  and  molten  lead  are  also  there. 

SUMMER   FRIEXDS. 

But  the  faithless  herd  and  perjured  harlot  shrink 
back;  summer  friends  vanish  when  the  cask  is 
drained  to  the  dregs,  their  necks  refusing  to  halve 
the  yoke  that  sorrow  draws. 

Pindar  (Nem.  x.  143)  has  the  sama  idea:— 
"  In  the  midst  of  misfortunes  few  men  are  so  faithful  in 
friendship  as  to  be  willing  to  share  the  anxieties  that  are  their 
attendants." 

Shakespeare  ("  Troilus  and  Cressida,''  act  iii.  sc.  3)  expresses 
tliis  idea  very  beautifully:  — 

"  Men,  like  butterflies, 

Show  not  their  mealy  wings  but  to  the  summer; 
And  not  a  man,  for  being  simply  man, 
Hath  any  honor,  but  honor,  for  those  honors 
That  are  without  him,  as  place,  riches,  favor, — 
Prizes  of  accident  as  oft  of  merit; 
Which,  when  they  fall,  as  being  slippery  standers, 
The  love  that  leaned  on  them  as  slippery  too, 
Do  one  pluck  down  another,  and  together 
Die  in  the  fall." 


( 


160  HORACE. 

This  is  our  rhyming  proverb: — 
"  In  time  of  prosperity,  friends  will  be  plenty; 

In  time  of  adversity,  not  one  in  twenty." 
The  Greek  proverb  (Zenob.  iv.  12)  is:  "  Boil  pot,  boil  friend- 
ship." 

THE  AVICKEDNESS  OF  MANKIND. 

What  crimes  have  we,  the  hard  age  of  iron,  not 
dared  to  commit  ?  from  what  has  fear  of  heaven 
restrained  us  ? 

THE   LAST   ROSE   OF   SUMMER. 

Search  not  too  curiously  where  the  belated  rose 
lingers. 

Moore  has  this  idea  (•'  Last  Rose  of  Summer  "): — 
"  'Tis  the  last  rose  of  summer 
Left  blooming  alone." 

DANGER    OF     GIVING    OFFENCE    IN    WRITING    CON- 
TEMPORARY  HISTORY. 

Thou  art  employed  on  a  work  full  of  danger  and 
hazard,  and  art  treading  upon  fires  concealed  by 
smouldering  ashes. 

This  idea  of  treading  on  covered  fires  is  proverbial,  and 
often  used  both  by  Greek  and  Roman  writers.  Thus  Callima- 
chus  (Epigr.  45):— 

'•  There  is  something,  by  Pan,  concealed,  yea  there  is,  by 
Bacchus,  some  fire  under  that  heap  of  ashes." 

The  lexicographer  Suidas  thus  explains  it: — 

"  Thou  walkest  through  the  fire:  we  must  say  this  of  those 
who  like  to  mingle  in  hazardous  matters  full  of  danger." 

And  Propertius  (i.  5,  5): — 

"  Unhappy!  thou  art  hurrying  to  a  knowledge  of  the  most 
portentous  misfortunes,  and  in  thy  misery  art  walking  over 
hidden  fires." 

Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VI.,"  Part  I.  act  iii.  sc.  1)  says: — 

"  This  late  dissension,  grown  betwixt  the  peers. 

Burns  under  feigned  ashes  of  forged  love." 


HORACE.  161 

A  GREAT  ADVOCATE. 

Pollio,  thou  noble  advocate  of  the  disconsolate 
prisoner,  and  guide  of  the  senate  in  a  dangerous 
crisis. 

CHARACTER   OF   CATO. 

And  see  the  whole  world  subdued  except  the 
stern  soul  of  Cato. 

Seneca  (De  Provid.  2)  thus  alludes  to  the  character  of 
Cato:— 

"  I  do  not  see  what  more  beautiful  sight  Jupiter  has  on 
earth  than  Cato,  while  his  party  is  repeatedly  defeated,  stand- 
ing upright  amidst  the  ruins  of  the  nation.  Though,  he  says, 
all  things  should  submit  to  the  rule  of  one  individual,  the 
earth  be  guarded  by  his  legions,  the  seas  by  his  fleets,  and  the 
sea-ports  occupied  by  the  soldiers  of  Cassar,  Cato  has  a  means 
to  free  himself  from  all  these." 

AVARICE  REPROVED. 

There  is  no  brilliancy  in  silver  when  hidden  in 
the  earth,  Crispus  Sallustius,  thou  foe  to  money, 
if  it  does  not  throw  lustre  around  by  moderate 
use. 

Seneca  (Ep.  94)  says  something  to  the  same  effect: — 
"  Wilt  thou  know  how  deceitful  is  the  glare  that  bewitches 
our  eyes?    There  is  nothing  more  foul  or  dingy  than  the  ap- 
pearance of  gold  and  silver,  so  long  as  they  lie  buried  in  their 
mould ;  there  is  hothing  more  shapeless,  while  they  are  pass- 
ing through  the  fire  and  being  separated  from  the  dross." 
Shakespeare  ("  Venus  and  Adonis '')  says: — 

"Foul  cankering  rust  the  hidden  treasure  frets; 
But  gold  that's  put  to  use  more  gold  begets." 

MODERATION. 

By  curbing  a  griping  spirit  within  thee,  thou 
wilt  be  the  lord  of  a  more  extensive  domain  than 
if  thou  wert  to  join  Libya  to  the  remote  Gades, 
and  both  Carthaginians  owned  thy  sway. 
11 


162  HORACE. 

Seneca  (Her.  Fur.  166)  thus  describes  the  avaricious: 

"  This  man  without  a  moment's  happiness  gathers  riches, 
eager  for  wealth,  and  is  poor  in  the  midst  of  heaps  of  gold." 

And  Claudian  (In  Eufin  lib.  i.  196)  expresses  the  same  idea 
in  these  words: — 

"  Though  both  oceans  were  subject  to  thee,  though  Lydia 
were  to  open  her  fountains  of  gold,  though  the  throne  of  Cy- 
rus and  the  crown  of  Croesus  were  in  thy  possession,  thou  wilt 
never  be  rich,  never  satiated." 

Milton  ("  Paradise  Regained,"  b.  ii.  1.  466)  has  the  same 
idea:— 

"  Yet  he  who  reigns  within  himself,  and  rules 
Passions,  desires,  and  fears,  is  more  a  king." 

Proverbs  (xvi.  32): — 

"  He  that  ruleth  his  spirit  is  better  than  he  that  taketh  a 
city." 

VIRTUE. 

Virtue  teaches  the  people  not  to  apply  false 
names  to  things. 

s       Thucydides  (iii.  Hi)  uses  an  expression  of  the  same  kind: — 

"  Moreover  they  changed  at  their  will  the  usual  signification 
of  words  for  things." 
And  Sallust  (Catil.  52)  says:— 

"  For  a  long  time  past  we  have  lost  the  true  appellations 
for  acts." 

EQUANIMITY  RECOMMENDED. 

Dellius,  since  thou  art  doomed  to  die,  fail  not 
to  keep  a  calm  spirit  when  the  world  frowns,  and 
•when  it  smiles  give  not  thyself  up  to  arrogance. 

Archilochus  expresses  the  same  idea  in  a  fragment  (58,  S.): 
"If  thou  conquerest,  do  not  exult  too  openly,  nor,  if  thou 
art  conquered,  bewail  thy  fate,  lying  down  in  thy  house." 
Spenser  ("  Faery  Queen,"  v.  5,  33)  says: — 
"  Yet  weet  ye  well,  that  to  a  courage  greate, 
It  is  no  lesse  beseeming  well  to  beare 
The  storm  of  Fortune's  frown,  or  heaven's  threat, 
Than  in  the  sunshine  of  her  countenance  cleare 
Timely  to  joy,  and  carrie  comely  cheere." 

"  A  full  cup  must  be  earned  steadily." 


HORACE.  103 

ENJOY  THE  PRESENT  HOUR. 

Say  for  what  the  tall  pine  and  silver  poplar  lov- 
ingly entwine  their  branches  with  welcoming 
shade,  wherefore  struggles  the  limpid  streamlet 
to  purl  in  its  meandering  course;  hither  order 
them  to  bring  thee  wine  and  purfumes,  and  the 
too  short-lived  flowers  of  the  fragrant  rose,  while 
thy  fortune,  youth,  and  the  woof  of  the  three  sis- 
ters allow. 
Milton  in  "  Comus"  (1. 188)  says: — 

"  To  lodge 

Under  the  spreading  favor  of  these  pines. 
To  bring  me  berries,  or  such  cooling  fruit 
As  the  kind  hospitable  woods  provide." 
And  Shelley  ("  Revolt  of  Islam,"  Dedication)  says: — 

"  The  woods  to  frame  a  bower 
With  interlae&d  brandies  mix  and  meet." 

THE   GRAVE. 

The  victim  of  pitiless  Pluto.  We  are  all  driven 
to  the  same  fold :  the  doom  of  all  is  being  shaken 
in  the  urn,  which  will  issue  forth  sooner  or  later, 
and  place  us  in  Charon's  boat  for  eternal  banish- 
ment. 

Statius  (Sylv.  II.  i.  219)  says  to  the  same  effect:— 
"  Whatever  has  a  beginning  has  an  end:  we  shall  all  go  to 
the  grave:  ^Eacus  is  shaking  the  urn  in  the  boundless  regions 
of  the  dead." 
Wilson  ( "  City  of  the  Plague,"  act  ii.  sc.  2)  says:— 

"  In  they  go, 

Beggar  and  banker,  porter  and  gentleman, 
The  cinder- wench  and  the  white-handed  lady, 
Into  one  pit:  oh,  rare,  rare  bedfellows! 
There  they  all  lie  in  uncomplaining  sleep.'' 
Also  in  Ecclesiastes  (vi.  6)  we  find:— 

"  Do  not  all  go  to  one  place?  " 

BEAUTIES   OF   SOUTHERN  ITALY. 

That  little  corner  has  more  charms  for  me  than 


I(M  HORACE. 

all  the  world  besides,  \Chere  the  honey  does  not 
yield  in  sweetness  to  that  of  Hymettus,  and  the 
olive-berry  vies  with  the  produce  of  Venafrum, 
where  nature  grants  a  lengthened  spring  and  mild 
winters,  and  Mount  Aulon,  favorable  to  the  clus- 
tering vine,  envies  not  the  vintage  of  Faleruus. 

JOY  AT  THE   RETURX   OF   A   FRIEXD. 

It  is  pleasant  to  indulge  in  excess  of  joy  when  a 
dear  friend  has  been  restored. 
Anacreon  (31)  says:— 

" I  wish,  I  wish  to  be  mad." 

SAFETY  OF  AN  HUMBLE  LIFE. 

Thou  wilt  live,  Licinius,  more  like  a  man  of 
sense,  if  thou  art  not  launching  ever  too  ventur- 
ously into  the  deep,  nor  yet,  "when  the  stormy 
winds  do  blow,"  hugging  too  closely  the  treacher- 
ous shore.  The  man,  who  loves  the  golden  mean, 
is  safe  from  the  misery  of  a  wretched  hovel,  and 
moderate  in  his  desires,  cares  not  for  a  luxurious 
palace,  the  subject  of  envy.  The  tall  pine  bends 
oftener  to  the  rude  blast;  lofty  towers  fall  with  a 
heavier  crash,  and  the  lightnings  strike  more  fre- 
quently the  tops  of  the  mountains.  A  well-bal- 
anced mind  hopes  for  a  change  when  the  world 
frowns,  and  fears  its  approach  when  it  smiles.  It 
is  the  same  Divine  Being  that  brings  back  and 
sends  away  the  gloom  of  winter.  Though  sorrow 
may  brood  over  thee  just  now,  a  change  'may  ere 
long  await  thee.  At  times  Apollo  tunes  his  silenjb 
lyre,  and  is  not  always  bending  his  bow.  Be  of 
good  cheer  and  firm  in  the  hour  of  adversity,  and 
when  a  more  favorable  gale  is  blowing,  thou  wilt 
do  wisely  to  be  furling  thy  swelling  sail. 

The  golden  mean  is  a  frequent  subject  of  the  poets.    Thus 


HORACE.  165 

Phocylides  (Fr.  8,  S.),  who  flourished  B.C.  580,  says,  as  quoted 
by  Aristotle  (Polit.  iv.  11):— 

"  Many  of  the  best  things  are  placed  between  extremes;  I 
wish  to  be  in  the  middle  ranks  of  the  city." 

And  Euripides  (Ion,  632):— 

"  Would  that  I  could  live  without  care  in  the  middle  ranks 
of  life." 

And  Pindar  (Pyth.  xi.  81):— 

"  For  when  I  find  that  the  middle  condition  of  life  is  by  far 
the  happiest,  I  look  with  little  favor  on  that  of  princes." 

Apollodorus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1100,  M.)  says:— 

"  Men,  he  who  is  in  bad  circumstances  ought  not  to  despair, 
but  always  to  look  for  a  favorable  change." 

Shakespeare  ("  Richard  III.,"  act  i.  sc.  8)  says:— 

"  They  that  stand  high  have  many  blasts  to  shake  them." 

ENJOY   THE    PUESEXT. 

Be  not  too  anxious  for  the  few  things  that  life 
requires;  youth  is  flying  rapidly  past  and  beauty 
is  vanishing,  while  withered  age  puts  to  night 
amorous  play  and  gentle  sleep.  The  flowers  of 
spring  do  not  retain  their  bloom,  nor  does  the 
ruddy  moon  always  shine  with  the  same  lustre; 
why,  then,  O  man,  dost  thou  disquiet  thyself  for- 
ever with  schemes  that  are  far  beyond  the  power 
of  man  ? 

Goldsmith's  " Edwin  and  Angelina"  (in  "  Vicar  of  Wake- 
field"):— 

"  Man  wants  but  little  here  below, 

Nor  wants  that  little  long." 

Wordsworth  in  his  "  Poems  on  the  Affections  "  says: — 
"  Look  at  the  fate  of  summer  flowers, 
Which  blow  at  daybreak,  droop  ere  even  song." 

DANGERS   OF    LIFE 

Man  cannot  be  always  on  his  guard  against  the 
dangers  that  are  impending  from  hour  to  hour. 

The  vicissitudes  of  life  are  a  constant  theme  of  the  poets; 
thus  Pindar  (Pyth.  Olymp.  vii.  175)  says:— 

"  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  one  vicissitude  of  fortune  fol- 
lows another." 


166  HORACE. 

DEATH. 

Alas,  Postumus,  Postumus,  how  swiftly  do  fleet- 
ing years  glide  past!  we  must  not  expect  that 
reverence  of  the  gods  will  stay  the  advance  of 
wrinkled  old  age  or  the  hand  of  inexorable  death. 

Mimnermus  (Fr.  5,  S.)  who  flourished  B.C.  G34,  thus  speaks 
of  death:— 

"  Youth,  that  is  so  highly  prized,  passes  quickly  like  a 
dream:  sad  and  wrinkled  old  age  forthwith  impends  over 
our  head." 

And  JSschylus  (Fr.  Niobe  I.  4)  says: — 

"  For  Death  alone  of  the  gods  loves  not  gifts,  nor  do  you 
need  to  offer  incense  or  libations:  he  cares  not  for  altar  nor 
hymn;  th3  goddess  of  persuasion  alone  of  the  gods  has  no 
power  over  him. 

DEATH. 

Thou  must  leave  thy  lands,  house,  and  beloved 
wife,  nor  shall  any  of  those  trees  follow  thee,  their 
short-lived  master,  except  the  hated  cypress. 

Philistion,  who  flourished  A.D.  7  (apud  Stobaeum  F.  S.  330), 
says: — 

"  Though  thou  art  the  lord  of  ten  thousand  acres  of  land, 
when  dead  thou  shalt  become  the  lord  of  three  or  four  cubits." 
And   Shakespeare   (''Henry  VL,"  Part  III.  act  v.  sc.  2) 
says: — 

"  My  parks,  my  walks,  my  manors  that  I  had, 
Even  now  forsake  me;  and  of  all  my  lands 
Is  nothing  left  me  but  my  body's  length." 

A  PEACEFUL  LIFE. 

The  man  caught  by  a  storm  in  the  wide  ^Egean, 
when  the  moon  is  hid  by  dark  clouds,  and  no  star 
shines  to  guide  him  certainly  on  his  way,  prays 
for  ease ;  the  Thracian,  fierce  in  battle,  prays  for 
ease ;  the  quivered  Parthians,  Grosphus,  pray  for 
ease — a  blessing  not  to  be  bought  by  gems,  purple, 
nor  gold.  Ease  is  not  venal;  for  it  is  not  treas- 
ures, nor  yet  the  enjoyment  of  high  power,  that 


HOE  ACE.  167 

can  still  the  uneasy  tumults  of  the  soul,  and  drive 
away  the  cares  that  hover  around  the  fretted  ceil- 
ings of  the  great. 

Varro  (in  Anthol.  Lat.  Burm.  i.  p.  512)  says:— 
"  The  breast  is  not  freed  from  cares  by  the  possession  of 
treasures  or  gold;  neither  the  mountains  of  the  Persians  nor 
the  palace  of  the  rich  Croesus  relieve  the  mind  from  anxiety 
and  superstition." 

Quarles  ("  Search  after  Happiness  ")  says: — 
"  One  digs  to  Pluto's  throne,  thinks  there  to  find 
Her  grace,  raked  up  in  gold:  another's  mind 
Mounts  to  the  court  of  kings,  with  plumes  of  honor 
And  feather'd  hopes,  hopes  there  to  seize  upon  her: 
A  third  unlocks  the  painted  gate  of  pleasure, 
And  ransacks  there  to  find  this  peerless  treasure." 
So  Proverbs  xiii.  7  :— 

"  There  is  that  maketh  himself  rich,  yet  hath  nothing:  there 
is  that  maketh  himself  poor,  yet  hath  great  ricnes." 
And  Ecclesiastes  v.  11  :— 
"  The  abundance  of  the  rich  will  not  suffer  him  to  sleep." 

CAKE. 

Why  are  we,  whose  strength  is  but  for  a  day,  so 
full  of  schemes  ?  Why  do  we  change  our  own  for 
lauds  warmed  by  another  sun  ?  What  exile  is  able 
to  fly  from  his  own  thoughts  ?  Care,  the  child  of 
vicious  indulgence,  mounts  with  us  the  brazen- 
beaked  galleys,  and  leaves  not  the  troops  of  horse- 
men, fleeter  tlian  stag  and  east  wind  driving  the 
rack  before  it.  Let  the  mind,  which  is  now  glad, 
hate  to  carry  its  care  beyond  the  present,  and 
temper  the  bitters  of  life  with  easy  smile.  There 
is  no  unalloyed  happiness  in  this  world. 

Patrocles,  the  tragic  poet,  who  flourished  B.C.  300  (Stob.  iii. 
3)  says: — 

"Why,  pray,  do  we  foolishly  occupy  our  minds  with  so 
many  projects,  pursuing  them  in  quick  succession — why  do 
we  imagine  that  we  can  accomplish  all  things,  looking  far 
into  the  future,  while  we  know  not  the  fate  impending  close 
upon  us,  and  see  not  our  miserable  end  ?  " 


168  HORACE. 

Euripides  (Alex.  Fr.  3)  says:— 

"  So  that  there  is  no  man  happy  in  every  respect.'' 

Seneca  (De  Tranquil.  Anira.  2)  says: — 
"  The  sick  in  mind  and  body  can  suffer  nothing  long,  think- 
ing that  mere  change  of  scene  will  prove  a  remedy  to  their 
illness.    For  this  reason  they  traverse  foreign  countries  and 
coast  along  distant  shores,  while  their  changeable  disposition, 
always  averse  to  the  present,  ransacks  sea  and  land  for  health. 
'  Now  let  us  visit  Campania.'    Then  they  tire  of  that  luxuri- 
ous land.    '  Let  us  go  to  savage  regions,  the  forests  of  the 
Bruttii  and  Lucani.' " 
Milton  ("Paradise  Lost,"  b.  iv.  L  21)  says: — 

"  Nor  from  hell 

One  step  no  more  than  from  himself  can  fly 
By  change  of  place." 

MAN  LIVES  CARELESS  OF  THE  FUTURE. 

I  importune  the  gods  for  nothing  more,  nor  do 
I  dun  my  powerful  patron  for  more  extensive 
possessions,  quite  satisfied  with  my  dear  little 
Sabine  farm.  Day  presses  on  the  heels  of  day, 
and  new  moons  hasten  to  their  wane,  while  thou, 
forgetful  of  the  tomb  on  the  brink  of  which  thou 
art  standing,  continuest  to  make  bargains  for 
marble  slabs  to  adorn  the  house  thou  art  erecting. 

Ammianus,  the  epigrammatist,  who  flourished  probably  in 
the  reign  of  Nero  (Anthol.  Pal.  II.  p.  322)  says:— 

"  One  morning  follows  another,  then,  while  we  are  heed- 
less of  our  coming  doom,  suddenly  the  dark  one  will  step  in ' ' 
And  Cowley  says: — 

"  Why  dost  thou  build  up  stately  rooms  on  high, 

Thou  who  art  underground  to  lie  ? 
Thou  sowest  and  plantest,  but  no  fruit  must  see, 
For  Death  himself  is  reaping  thee." 

i 
THE  GKAVE. 

The  earth  opens  impartially  her  bosom  to  re- 
ceive the  beggar  and  the  prince. 
Menander  says:— 

"All  men  have  a  common  grave." 


HORACE.  169 

Pindar  also  (Nem.  vii.  27):— 

"  Rich  and  poor  hurry  on  to  the  grave." 

HATRED  OF  THE  VULGAR. 

I  hate  the  uninitiated   rabble  and  drive  them 
far  from  me.     Be  silent  and  listen. 

FATE. 

Fate  with  impartial  hand  turns  out  the  doom  of 
high   and  low;  her  capacious  urn  is  constantly 
shaking  the  names  of  all  mankind. 
•  Cowper,  in  the  "Tale  of  the  Raven  "  (1.  30)  says: — 
"  Fate  steals  along  with  ceaseless  tread, 
And  meets  us  oft  when  least  we  dread ; 
Frowns  in  the  storm  with  threatening  brow, 
Yet  in  the  sunshine  strikes  the  blow." 

SLEEP. 

Sleep,  gentle  that  it  is,  spurns  not  the  humble 
cots  of  the  peasants  and  the  shady  bank. 

Anacreon  (Fr.  88)  says:— 

"  Without  drawing  the  bolt  in  his  double  doors,  he  sleeps 
secure." 

CARES  OF   LIFE. 

Fear  and  the  threats  of  conscience  wait  every- 
where on  the  haughty  lord;  nor  does  gloomy  care 
leave  him  when  he  lounges  in  his  brazen-beaked 
galley,  or  gallops  along  on  his  swift  steed. 
Sir  Walter  Scott  says: — 

"  Danger,  long  travel,  want,  or  woe, 
Soon  change  the  form  that  best  we  know; 
For  deadly  fear  can  time  outgo, 

And  blanch  at  once  the  hair. 
Hard  toil  can  roughen  form  and  face, 
And  want  can  quench  the  eye's  bright  grace; 
Nor  does  old  age  a  wrinkle  trace, 
More  deeply  than  despair." 


170  U Oil ACE, 

DEATH  FOB  OXE\S  COUNTRY. 

It  is  sweet  and  glorious  to  die  for  our  country; 
for  death  pursues  even  the  coward  who  flies  from 
danger,  and  shows  no  quarter  to  the  timid  and  un- 
warlike  youth.  Virtue,  that  cares  not  for  the 
honors  of  this  world,  shines  forth  with  stainless 
lustre,  taking  not  up  nor  laying  down  the  badges 
of  office  at  the  will  of  a  fickle  populace.  Virtue, 
that  opens  the  way  to  heaven  for  those  who  de- 
serve not  to  die  and  be  forgotten,  advances  by  a 
path  denied  to  all  but  the  just,  despising  the  vul- 
gar throng  and  rising  above  this  dank  earth  on  an 
untiring  pinion. 

Tyrtosus  has  the  same  idea  (Fr.  7,  S.) : — 
"  For  it  is  pleasant  for  a  brave  man  to  die  in  the  front 
ranks,  fighting  for  his  country." 
Shakespeare  ("  Coriolanus,"  act  iii.  sc.  3)  says: — 

"  I  do  love 

My  country's  good,  with  a  respect  more  tender, 
More  holy  and  profound,  than  mine  own  life." 
Simonides,  who  flourished  B.C.  500  (Fr.  51,  Schneider),  says: — 

"  Death  finds  out  even  the  coward." 
Shakespeare  cays:— 

"  Had  I  a  dozen  sons,  each  in  my  love  alike,  I  had  rather 
have  eleven  die  nobly  for  their  country,  than  one  voluptuously 
surfeit  out  of  action." 
And  Addison:— 

"  What  pity  is  it 
That  we  can  die  but  once  to  serve  our  country! " 

THE    WICKED. 

Jupiter,  irritated  by  man's  contempt  of  his  laws, 
often  involves  the  innocent  with  the  guilty;  ven- 
geance, though  with  halting  foot,  seldom  fails  to 
overtake  the  villain  proceeding  on  his  course  of 
wickedness. 

We  find  the  same  idea  in  Euripides  (Fragm.  Incert.  2).— 
"  Justice  proceeding  silently  and  with  slow  foot,  overtakes 
the  wicked  when  it  can." 


HORACE.  171 

And  in  ^Eschylus  (Sept.  c.  Theb.  595):— 

"  In  all  state  affairs  there  is  nothing  worse  than  bad 
company.  For  the  good  having  embarked  in  the  same  vessel 
with  the  reckless  and  knavish,  perish  with  this  race  abhorred 
by  the  gods.  Or  the  just,  having  been  caught  in  the  same  net 
with  those  of  their  fellow -citizens  who  ere  unscrupulous  and 
regardless  of  the  gods,  are  destroyed  by  a  stroke  which  levels 
all  at  the  same  moment." 

Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  b.  x.  1.  858)  says:— 

"  But  death  comes  not  at  call;  justice  divine 
Mends  not  her  slowest  pace  for  prayers  or  cries." 

THE    JUST   MAN. 

The  just  man,  firm  to  his  purpose,  is  not  to  be 
shaken  from  his  fixed  resolve  by  the  fury  of  a  mob 
laying  upon  him  their  impious  behests,  nor  by  the 
frown  of  a  threatening  tyrant,  nor  by  the  dangers 
of  the  restless  Adriatic,  "when  the  stormy  winds 
do  blow,"  nor  by  the  loud  peals  of  thunder  as 
they  rend  the  sky;  even  if  the  universe  were  to 
fall  in  pieces  around,  the  ruins  would  strike  him 
undismayed. 

The  poet  Simonides  (Fr.  4,  S.)  says:—    , 

"  To  become  a  good  man  is  truly  difficult,  square  as  to  his 
hands  and  feet,  fashioned  without  fault." 

This  metaphor  is  adopted  by  Tennyson  for  the  Duke  of 
Wellington: — 

"  A  tower 
That  stood  foursquare  to  all  the  winds  that  blew. " 

Seneca  (De  Const.  Sap.  vi.)  says:— 

"  As  there  are  certain  stones  so  hard  that  they  cannot  be 
broken  by  iron,  nor  can  the  diamond  be  cut  or  filed  away, 
turning  the  edge  of  the  tools  that  are  applied ;  as  the  rocks 
fixed  in  the  deep  break  the  waves;  so  the  mind  of  the  wise 
man  is  firm  and  unmoved." 

And  again,  Seneca  (De  Const.  Sap.  vi.)says:— 

"  There  is  no  reason  why  thou  shouldst  doubt  that  mortal 
man  can  raise  himself  above  the  accidents  of  life,  can  look 
with  steady  gaze  on  pains  of  body,  loss  of  fortune,  sores, 
wounds,  and  heavy  calamities,  pressing  on  every  side.  Lo,  I 
am  ready  to  prove  this  to  you,  that  walls  may  totter  under  the 


172 


HORACE. 


blows  of  the  battering-ram,  and  lofty  towers  fall  to  the  ground 
by  mines  and  hidden  sap,  yet  no  engines  can  be  found  that 
can  shake  a  mind  firmly  fixed." 

The  eight  lines  of  Horace  of  which  a  translation  is  here  given 
are  said  to  have  been  repeated  by  the  celebrated  De  Vv'itt 
while  he  was  subjected  to  torture. 

Carlyle  says  very  beautifully:— 

"  '  Truth, '  I  cried ,  '  though  the  heavens  crush  me  for  follow- 
ing her;  no  falsehood,  though  a  whole  celestial  Lubberland 
were  the  price  of  apostasy.'  " 

In  the  Psalms  (xlvi.  1 )  we  find  this  sentiment  beautifully  ex- 
pressed:— 

"  God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present  help  in 
time  of  trouble;  therefore  will  not  we  fear,  though  the  earth 
be  removed,  and  though  the  mountains  be  carried  into  the 
midst  of  the  sea;  though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be 
troubled,  though  the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  there- 
of." ^-,  «=>W.  -, 

^JX_    7  ^^l  A^f 


THE    VIOLENT 

'orce;  unaccompanied  by  prudence,  sinks  under 
its  own  weight.-  The  gods  give  effect  to  force 
regulated  by  wisdom;  they  pursue  with  wrath  bold 

unhallowed  schemes. 

— . — *•*-* 

Pindar  (Pyth.  viii.  19)  says:— 
"  She  puts  down  in  time  the  proud  vaunter  by  superior 
force." 
And  Euripides  (Fragm.  Temenid.  11): — 

"  Senseless  violence  often  produces  harm." 
And  again  (Hel.  903):— 

'•  For  God  hates  violence." 
Milton  ("  Sams.  Agon."  53)  says:— 

"  But  what  is  strength  without  a  double  share 
Of  wisdom  ?  vast,  unwieldy,  burdensome, 
Proudly  secure,  yet  liable  to  fall." 

And  in  "  Paradise  Lost "  (b.  vi.  1.  381):— 

"  For  strength,  from  truth  divided  and  from  just, 
Illaudable,  naught  merits  but  dispraise 
And  ignominy:  yet  to  glory  aspires 
Vain-glorious,  and  through  infamy  seeks  fame." 


Jl Oil ACE.  173 

COWARDICE. 

The  wool,  once  stained  by  a  dye,  does  not  re- 
cover its  original  color,  nor  is  virtue,  when  it  has 
left  the  breast,  able  to  resume  its  place  in  the 
heart  of  the  degraded.  "When  the  stag,  that  has 
escaped  the  hunter's  toils,  shall  turn  and  fight, 
then  we  may  expect  the  man  to  be  brave  who  has 
tamely  yielded  himself  prisoner  to  the  enemy. 

MANKIND    BECOME    MORE    DEGENERATE. 

What  does  not  wasting  time  destroy?  The  age 
of  our  parents,  worse  than  that  of  our  grandsires, 
has  brought  us  forth  more  impious  still,  and  we 
shall  produce  a  more  vicious  progeny. 

Seneca  (De  Beneflc.  i.  10)  says:— 

"  Of  this  our  ancestors  complained,  we  ourselves  do  so  and 
our  posterity  will  equally  lament,  because  goodness  has  van- 
ished, evil  habits  prevail,  while  human  affairs  grow  worse 
and  worse,  sinking  into  an  abyss  of  wickedness." 

Aratus  (Phsenom.  123)  says:— 

"  As  our  sires  of  the  golden  age  left  a  worse  race,  so  you 
too  will  produce  a  still  worse." 

Johnson  says:— 

"  These  our  times  are  not  the  same,  Arantius, 
These  men  are  not  the  same;  'tis  we  are  base, 
Poor,  and  degenerate  from  th1  exalted  strain 
Of  our  great  fathers;  where  is  now  the  soul 
Of  godlike  Cato?  he  that  durst  be  good 
When  Csesar  durst  be  evil ;  and  had  power, 
Scorning  to  live  his  slave,  to  die  his  master? 
Or  where's  the  constant  -Brutus,  that,  being  proof 
Against  all  charm  of  the  benefits,  did  strike 
So  brave  a  blow  into  the  monster's  heart 
That  sought  unkindly  to  enslave  his  country? 
Oh !  they  are  fled  the  light  I  those  mighty  spirits 
Lie  rack'd  up  with  their  ashes  in  their  urns, 
And  not  a  spark  of  their  eternal  fire 
Glows  in  a  present  bosom.    All 's  but  blaze, 
Flashes,  and  smoke,  wherewith  we  labor  so, 
There's  nothing  Roman  in  us;  nothing  good, 


174  HORACE. 

Gallant,  or  great;  'tis  true  what  Cordus  says, 
Brave  Cassius  was  the  last  of  all  the  race." 

So  Matthew  xix  8:— 

"  But  from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so." 

ENJOY  THE   PRESENT. 

Enjoy  the  pleasures  of  the  passing  hour,  and 
bid  adieu  for  a  time  to  grave  pursuits. 

Cicero  (De  Orator,  iii.  40)  says  something  to  the  same  effect, 
quoting  from  Ennius: — 

"  'Live,  Ulysses,  while  you  may:  seize  the  last  rays  of  the 
sun.'  He  did  not  say  take  nor  seek;  for  that  would  have  had 
the  appearance  of  one  hoping  that  he  would  live  longer,  but 
seize:  that  word  is  suited  to  the  idea." 

A  NOBLE  TORGIN. 

A  virgin  gloriously  false,  and  thereby  ennobled 
for  all  time. 

This  curious  union  of  ideas  is  repeatedly  found  in  the  poets: 
thus  JSschylus  (Fragm.  Incert.  xi): — 

"  God  is  not  averse  to  deceit  in  a  just  cause." 

And  Sophocles  (Antig.  74):— "Doing  a  holy  deed  in  an  un- 
holy way." 

And  Euripides  (Helen.  1633):— 
"  To  commit  a  noble  deed  of  treachery  in  a  just  cause." 

Cicero  also  (Pro.  Mil.  27)— "  To  lie  gloriously." 

Tacitus  (Hist.  iv.  50)— "A  noble  lie." 

Seneca  (Ep.  55)—"  A  glorious  wickedness." 

PASSIONS   OF   YOUTH. 

In  the'  warmth  of  youth,  when  Plancns  was  con- 
sul, I  would  not  have  submitted  to  such  treat- 
ment. 

So  also  Ovid  (Met.  xv.  209)  says:— 

"  Having  laid  aside  the  warmth  of  youth,  he  was  staid  and 
gentle." 

POWER  OF  GOLD. 

Gold  can  make  its  way  through  the  midst  of 


HOB  A  CE.  175 

guards,  and  break  through  the  strongest  barriers 
more  easily  than  the  lightning's  bolt. 

This  idea  is  frequently  found  in  the  Greek  poets:  thus  in 
the  fragments  of  a  lyric  poet  (Fr.  Dindorf,  p.  135):— 

"  O  gold,  that  springest  from  the  earth,  with  what  love  thou 
inflamest  men,  thou  that  art  mightier  than  all  things,  thou 
that  rulest  all:  thou  coutendest  with  greater  power  than 
Mars;  thou  charmest  all;  for  while  trees  and  senseless  beasts 
followed  the  melodious  strains  of  Orpheus,  the  whole  earth, 
the  sea,  and  all-subduing  Mars  attend  on  thee." 

And  again  (Grotii  Exc.  p.  941): — 

"  Gold  opens  all  things,  even  the  gates  of  Pluto." 

Milton  ("  Paradise  Regained,"  b.  ii.  1.  423)  says:— 
"  Money  brings  honor,  friends,  conquest,  and  realms." 

AVARICE. 

Care  and  the  desire  of  more  attend  the  still  in- 
creasing store. 

Theocritus  (xvi.  64)  says:— 

"  May  he  have  countless  silver:  and  may  the  desire  of  more 
always  possess  him." 
Spenser  ("  Faery  Queen,"  vi.  9,  21)  says:— 

"  And  store  of  cares  doth  follow  riches'  store." 

ADVANTAGES   OF   MODERATION. 

The  more  we  deny  to  ourselves,  the  more  the 
gods  supply  our  wants. 

So  1  Corinthians  ix.  25:— 

"  And  every  man  that  striveth  for  the  mastery  is  temperate 
in  all  tilings." 

AVARICE. 

They  are  full  of  wants  who  covet  much.  Happy 
the  man  to  whom  God  has  given  enough  with 
stingy  hands. 

Alpheus  of  Mytilene,  who  flourished  probably  under  Au- 
gustus (Anthol.  Pal.  ii.  p.  39)  says:— 

"I  care  not  for  fields  bearing  rich  crops,  nor  immense 
wealth  like  Gyges.  I  long  for  contentment,  Macrinus:  for 
everything  in  excess  disgusts  me." 


176  IlOli  ACE. 

Bacon  says: — 

"The  desire  of  power  in  excess  caused  angels  to  fall:  the 
desire  of  knowledge  in  excess  caused  man  to  fall;  but  in 
charity  is  no  excess,  neither  can  man  or  angels  come  into 
danger  by  it." 
Coleridge  expresses  the  same  idea  thus:— 

"  Oh!  we  are  poor  querulous  creatures!  little  less 
Than  all  things  can  suffice  to  make  us  happy, 
And  little  more  than  nothing  is  enough 
To  discontent  us." 
So  Psalm  xxxvii.  16: — 

"  A  little  that  a  righteous  man  hath  is  better  than  the  riches 
of  many  wicked." 

PLEASURES   OF   LIFE. 

I  hate  niggardly  hands :  give  us  roses  in  abun- 
dance. 

CATO'S   CHAKACTER. 

Even  the  stern  old  Cato  is  said  to  have  been 
often  warmed  by  wine. 

PURITY   OF   LIFE. 

When  the  hand  of  innocence  approaches  the 
altar,  it  is  more  sure  to  appease  the  anger  of  the 
gods  by  the  gift  of  a  small  cake  and  a  little  crack- 
ling salt,  than  the  wicked  with  his  more  costly 
sacrifice. 

Euripides  Capud  Orionem  S.  p.  55)  says  to  the  same  effect:— 
"  Be  assured,  when  a  good  man  offers  sacrifice  to  the  gods, 
even  though  it  be  small,  he  secures  safety. " 
In  Psalm  xxvi.  6  we  find:— 

"I  will  wash  my  hands  in  innocency;  so  will  I  compass 
thine  altar.  O  Lord.'1 

And  in  Burns  ('•  Cotter's  Saturday  Night,"  st.  17): — 
"The  Pow'r,  incens'd,  the  pageant  will  desert, 
The  pompous  strain,  the  sacerdotal  stole; 
•  But  haply,  in  some  cottage  far  apart, 

May  hear,  well  pleas'd,  the  language  of  the  soul; 
And  in  His  book  of  life,  the  inmates  poor  enrol." 


HORACE.  177 

WOMAN'S  DO  WHY. 

With  them  a  dowry  consists  in  a  father's  virtue, 
and  the  chastity  of  a  mother,  shrinking  from  the 
embraces  of  another,  who  considers  even  the  look- 
ing on  vice  as  a  thing  to  be  rejected  with  abhor- 
rence or  else  recompensed  by  death.  Oh,  for  some 
patriot,  who  shall  be  anxious  to  stop  impious 
slaughter  and  civic  broils.  If  he  shall  wish  to 
have  inscribed  on  the  pedestals  of  his  statue, 
"Father  of  his  Country,"  let  him  dare  to  bridle 
our  wild  licence,  living  for  this  to  far  distant  ages. 

In  a  fragment  of  Hipponax,  who  flourished  about  B.C.  520 
(apud  Stob.  Flor.  Grot.  p.  305),  we  find  the  same  idea: — 

"  The  best  dowry  a  wise  man  can  receive  with  his  wife  is 
good  principles;  for  this  is  the  dowry  alone  which  preserves 
a  family.  Whoever  leads  home  a  woman  who  is  not  the  slave 
of  luxury,  possesses  a  high-principled  help-mate  instead  of  a 
mistress,  a  firm  aid  for  his  whole  life." 

Shakespeare  (';  Henry  VI.,"  Part  III.  act  iii.  sc.  ii.)  says: — 

"  Why,  then,  mine  honesty  shall  be  my  dower." 

So  Proverbs  xxxi.  10:—  ' 

"Who  can  find  a  virtuous  woman?  for  her  price  is  far 
above  rubies." 

LIVING   MERIT. 

Through  envy  we  hate  the  noble  while  they  are 
alive ;  dead,  we  cease  not  to  regret  their  departure. 

Stobseus  quotes  the  following  lines  from  Mimnermus: — 

"  We  are  all  too  apt  to  envy  the  illustrious  in  life  and  to 
praise  them  after  death." 

DionysiusiFr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  731,  M.)s:iys:— 

"  Every  one  becomes  a  friend  to  the  dead,  even  though  he 
may  have  been  his  greatest  enemy  when  alive." 

Velleius(ii.  92)  says: — 

"  We  pursue  the  living  with  envy,  the  dead  we  regard  with 
respect;  we  consider  ourselves  overshadowed  by  the  former, 
instructed  by  the  latter." 
12 


178  HORACE. 

Shakespeare  ("  Much  Ado,"  act  iv.  sc.  1)  says:— 
"For  it  so  falls  out 

That,  what  we  have,  we  prize  not  to  the  worth 
Whiles  we  enjoy  it;  but  being  lack'd  and  lost, 
Why,  then  we  rack  the  value;  then  we  find 
The  virtue  that  possession  would  not  show  us 
Whiles  it  was  ours." 

Thus  also  Bulwer  Lytton:— 

"  I  know  not  why  we  should  delay  our  tokens  of  respect  to 
those  who  deservo  them,  until  tb.3  heart,  that  our  sympathy 
could  have  gladdened,  has  ceased  to  beat.  As  men  cannot 
read  the  epitaphs  inscribed  upon  the  marble  that  covers  them, 
so  the  tombs  that  we  erect  to  virtue  often  only  prove  our  re- 
pentance that  we  neglected  it  when  with  us." 


MOKAL   VIRTUES. 

What  are  laws?  vain  without  public  virtues  to 
enforce  them. 

Plautus  (Trinum.  iv.  3,  25)  says:— 

"  STAS.  For  nowadays,  men  care  nothing  for  what  is  right 
but  only  for  what  is  agreeable.  Ambition  is  now  sanctioned 
by  usage,  and  is  unbridled  by  the  laws.  By  the  present  cus- 
tom men  may  throw  away  their  shields  and  run  away  from 
the  enemy,  and  thereby  they  get  honor  instead  of  disgrace. 

CHARM,  (behind)  A  shameless  custom." 

The  same  idea  is  found  in  the  speech  of  Diodotus  (Thucyd. 
iii.  45): — 

"  It  is  simply  impossible,  and  the  height  of  folly,  to  suppose 
that  there  are  any  means  to  deter  men  from  sin,  either  by 
power  of  laws  or  any  other  terror,  since  human  nature  car- 
ries us  impetuously  forward  to  our  ends."" 

Petronius  Arbiter  (c.  xiv.)  says: —  t 

"  What  can  laws  effect,  where  money  reigns  supreme?  " 


POVERTY. 

Poverty,  looked  on  as  a  great  disgrace,  urges  us 
both  to  do  and  suffer  anything  that  we  may 
escape  from  it,  and  leads  us  away  from  the  path 
of  virtue,  that  directs  us  upward  to  heaven. 


HORACE.  179 

Euripides  (Elect.  375)  says:— 

"  But  poverty  possesses  this  disease ;  through  want  it  teaches 
a  man  evil." 

And  Lucian  (De  Merc.  Cond.  p.  747):— 

"•Poverty  persuading  a  man  to  do  and  suffer  everything 
that  he  may  escape  from  it." 

Addison  says: — 

"  Poverty  palls  the  most  generous  spirits;  it  cows  industry, 
and  casts  resolution  itself  into  despair." 

THE  EDUCATION  OF  THE  YOUNG. 

•  The  germs  of  sinful  desire  are  to  be  rooted  out; 
and  minds  weakened  by  indulgence  must  be  train- 
ed by  sterner  discipline. 

EICHES  DISHONESTLY  ACQUIRED. 

For  though  the  riches  of  the  wicked  increase, 
yet  there  is  always  a  something  wanting  to  make 
their  store  complete. 

Solon,  in  a  fragment  (Fr.  11,  71,  S.)  says: — 
"  There  are  no  bounds  that  can  be  set  to  riches.    For  those 
of  us,  who  now  possess  most  of  this  world's  goods,  make  haste 
to  double  them.    Who  could  satisfy  the  wishes  of  all? " 
Goldsmith's  ''Traveller"  says:— 

"  Hoards  after  hoards  his  rising  raptures  fill: 
Yet  still  he  sighs,  for  hoards  are  wanting  still." 

THE  NOISE   AND  CROWDS  OF  A  CITY. 

Cease  to  admire  the  smoke,  riches,  and  din  of 
Rome. 

Fragmenta  Com.  Anonym.  360,  p.  1250,  M.  :— 
"  A  great  city  is  a  great  desert."    This  expression  is  found 
in  Strabo  (viii.  p.  388,  xvi.  p.  738),  and  is  quoted  by  Eustathius 
(p.  302, 15),  referring  to  the  city  of  Megalopolis  in  Arcadia. 

FRUGAL  SUPPERS. 

Change  of  diet  is  sometimes  agreeable  to  the 
rich,  and  the  frugal  suppers  of  the  poor,  under  an 


180  HOB  ACE.  • 

humble  roof,  without  purple  drapery,  can  smooth 
the  clouded  brow. 

THE   FUTURE. 

God  has  wisely  hidden  the  events  of  the  future 
under  a  dark  veil,  and  smiles  if  a  mortal  is  dis- 
tressing himself  beyond  what  is  right.     Wherefore 
enjoy  the  present  hour;  the  rest  is  beyond  cm- 
power,  and  changeful  as  the  waters  of  the  river. 
Theognis  (1075)  says  tc  the  same  effect: — 
"  It  is  very  difficult  to  know  what  will  be  the  result  of  an, 
act  that  is  unfinished,  how  God  will  allow  it  to  end:  for  dark- 
ness is  stretched  over  it,  the  end  of  the  trouble  is  not  to  be 
foreseen  by  mortals,  before  the  matter  has   been  accom- 
plished." 
Pindar  (Olymp.  xii.  13)  says:— 

"  The  knowledge  of  the  future  is  dim." 
Sophocles  (Fr.  Tereus,  v.  1)  says:— 

"  It  is  right  that  mortal  man  should  be  humble,  knowing 
that  there  is  no  one,  except  Jupiter,  who  controls  what  is  to 
be  accomplished." 
So  Bulwer  Lytton  says: — 

"  The  veil  which  covers  the  face  of  futurity  is  woven  by  the 
hand  of  mercy." 
Shakespeare  ("Henry  IV.,"  act  iii.  sc.  1)  says: — 

"  O,  if  this  were  seen, 

The  happiest  youth— viewing  his  progress  through, 
What  perils  past,  what  crosses  to  ensue,— 
Would  shut  the  book,  and  sit  him  down  and  die." 
Pope  ("  Essay  on  Man,"  i.  85)  says:— 
"  Oh  blindness  to  the  future!  kindly  giv'n, 

That  each  may  fill  the  circle  mark'd  by  heaven." 
See  Gray,  "Progress  of  Poesy,"  st.  i.,  an  imitation  of  this 
passage  applied  to  music. 

WE   CANNOT   BE   DEPRIVED    OF    PAST   ENJOYMKNT. 

That  man  alone  will  live  master  of  himself  and 
joyous,  who  can  say  at  the  close  of  each  clay,  "  I 
have  lived;  to-morrow  Jupiter  may  shroud,  if  he 
chooses,  the  heaven  with  a  dark  cloud,  or  light  it 
up  with  brightest  sunshine,  yet  he  will  not  be  able 


HORACE.  181 

to  undo  what  has  gone  by,  nor  change  and  make 
void  what  once  the  flying  hour  has  carried  past. 
Fortune,  exulting  in  her  malice  and  obstinate  in 
playing  her  proud  game,  transfers  honors  from 
one  to  another,  kind  now  to  me,  now  to  some  one 
else." 

This  idea  is  frequently  found  among  the  poets:  thus  Theog- 
nisG>83):— 

"  But  what  has  passed,  it  is  impossible  to  undo." 
Simonides  (Fr.  55,  S.)  says:— 

"  For  what  is  past  will  never  be  undone." 
Again  Palladas  ("in  Anthol.  Pal.  ii.  304)  says:— 
"  The  life  of  man  is  the  plaything  of  fortune,  pitiable,  way- 
faring, oscillating  between  riches  and  poverty;  bringing  some 
down,  she  raises  them  again  aloft  like  a  ball,  while  she  brings 
others  down  from  the  clouds  to  Hades." 
Cowley,  in  his  Essay  "Of  Myself,"  says: — 

"  Boldly  say  each  night, 
To-morrow  let  my  sun  his  beams  display 
Or  in  clouds  hide  them:  I  have  lived  to-day." 
Dryden  says:— 

"  Be  fair  or  foul,  or  rain  or  shine, 
The  joys  I  have  possess'd,  in  spite  of  fate,  are  mine; 
Not  heaven  itself  upon  the  past  hath  power, 
What  has  been,  has  been,  and  I  have  had  my  hour." 
Chapman  thus  speaks  of  the  whims  of  fortune: — 
"  Fortune,  the  great  commandress  of  the  world, 
Hath  divers  ways  to  enrich  her  followers : 
To  some  she  honor  gives  without  deserving; 
To  other  some,  deserving,  without  honor ; 
Some  wit,  some  wealth,  and  some  wit  without  wealth; 
Some  wealth  without  wit ;  some  nor  wit  nor  wealth, 
But  good  smock  faces,  or  some  qualities 
By  nature  without  judgment;  with  the  which 
They  live  in  sensual  acceptation, 
And  make  show  only  without  touch  of  substance." 

I  WRAP   MYSELF   IN   MY   OWN   INTEGRITY. 

I  commend  fortune  while  she  stays:  if  she  flaps 
her  swiftly-moving  wings,  I  resign  what  she  has 


182  UOJiAVE. 

bestowed,  and,  wrapping  myself  in  the  mantle  of 
mine  own  integrity,  seek  only  honest  poverty. 

The  same  idea  is  found  in  Plutarch  (De  Tranquill.  vol.  vii.  p. 
855,  R.):— 

"  It  is  pleasant  if  thou  bringest  anything,  but  little  loss  if 
thou  failest." 

And  in  Seneca  (De  Tranquill.  11): — 

"  Whensoever  thy  wise  man  is  ordered  to  give  up  what  he 
has  received,  he  will  not  dispute  with  fortune,  but  will  say: 
'  Since  thou  orderest  it  so,  I  gratef  uljy  and  willingly  give 
them  up.  If  thou  art  willing  that  I  should  keep  anything  of 
thine,  I  shall  still  preserve  it;  if  it  otherwise  please  thee,  I 
give  up  and  restore  my  money  and  plate,  my  house  and 
family.'  " 

Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VIII.,"  act  iii.  sc.  2)  makes  Wolsey 
say: — 

"  My  robe, 

And  my  integrity  to  heaven,  is  all 
I  now  dare  call  my  own." 

See  Pitt's  Life,  by  Lord  Stanhope,  for  Pitt's  quotation  of 
this  stanza. 
Spenser  ("  Faery  Queen,"  ii.  7,  2)  says: — 

"  And  evermore  himself  with  comfort  feeds, 
Of  his  own  virtues  and  praiseworthy  deeds." 

THE  POET   IMMORTAL. 

I  have  raised  a  monument  more  lasting  than 
brazen  statues  and  higher  than  the  royal  pyr- 
amids, a  monument  which  shall  not  be  destroyed 
by  the  wasting  rain,  the  fury  of  the  north  wind, 
by  a  countless  series  of  years  or  the  flight  of  ages. 

Pindar  (Pyth.  vi.  7)  says  somewhere  to  the  same  effect:— 

"  A  great  collection  of  songs  (in  honor  of  victories  at  the 
Pythian  games)  is  kept  in  the  rich  valley  sacred  to  Apollo, 
which  neither  winter  storms,  rushing  furiously,  the  impet- 
uous force  of  the  loud-roaring  cloud,  nor  the  wind  shall  con- 
vey into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  overwhelmed  by  the  sand 
carrying  all  things  with  it." 

And  again,  speaking  of  those  who  fell  at  Thermopylae, 
says: — 

"  Neither  rust  nor  all-subduing  time  shall  obliterate  the 
remembrance  of  them." 


II  Olt  ACE.  1SS 

And  Shakespeare,  in  one  of  his  sonnets,  says:— 
"  Not  marble,  nor  the  gilded  monuments 

Of  princes,  shall  outlive  this  powerful  rhyme.' 
Simonides  (Fr.  74,  S.)  says,  however: — 
"  Time  with  its  teeth  quickly  gnaws  away  all  things,  even 
the  strongest." 

PKIDE. 

Assume  the  pride  won  by  your  deserts. 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  iii.  317)  has  imitated  this  line:— 
"  All  power 

I  give  thee ;  reign  forever,  and  assume 

Thy  merits." 

INCREASING    AGE. 

I'  am  no  longer  such  as  I  was  in  the  reign  of  the 
indulgent  Cynara. 

GOOD   EDUCATION, 

It  is  training  that  improves  the  powers  im- 
planted in  us  by  nature,  and  sound  culture  that  is 
the  armor  of  the  breast;  when  moral  training 
fails,  the  noblest  endowments  of  nature  are  blem- 
ished and  lost. 

Euripides  (Hec.  600)  says:-^ 

"If  thou  art  brought  up  honorably,  this  has  indeed  .the 
power  of  inspiring  principles  of  goodness." 
And  again  (Iphig.  in  Aul.  562): — 

"  The  education  that  trains  men,  contributes  much  to  virtue." 
Quinctilian  (xii.  2)  says: — 

"Virtuo,  though  she  may  receive  some  originating  force 
from  nature,  yet  must  be  brought  to  perfection  by  the  power 
of  education." 

So  Pope  ("  Moral  Essays,"  ch.  i.  1,  149):— 
li  'Tis  education  forms  the  common  mind; 

Just  as  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree's  inclined." 
And  Waller  says:— 

"  'Tis  art  and  learning  that  draw  forth 
The  hidden  seeds  of  native  worth." 


184  HORACE. 

UNYIELDING. 

Plunged  in  the  ocean,  more  fair  comes  forth  its 
star;  shouldst  thou  wrestle  and  win,  it  bears  the 
winner  down,  conquers  its  conquerors,  and  wives 
in  safety  babble  of  its  wars. 

Thus  Pindar  (Pyth.  ii.  145)  says:— 

"  Like  a  cork,  I  swim  on  the  surface  of  the  deep  without 
being  submerged." 

LOSS   OF  FORTUNE. 

Fallen,  fallen  is  the  hope  and  fortune  of  our 
name. 

LONGING   FOR  A  FRIEND'S  RETURN. 

His  fatherland,  smit  with  a  fond  longing,  waits 
with  impatience  the  return  of  Caesar. 

^Eschylus  (Agam.  1174)  says:— 

"  The  god  smit  by  a  longing  desire." 

CRIME   FOLLOWED  BY  PUNISHMENT. 

Punishment  follows  close  on  the  heels  of  crime. 

Coleridge  says: — 

"  Every  crime 

Has,  in  the  moment  of  its  perpetration. 
Its  own  avenging  angel, — dark  misgiving, 
An  ominous  sinking  at  the  inmost  heart." 

THE   PLEASURES   OF   PEACE. 

Every  one  sees  the  close  of  day  on  his  own  hills, 
and  weds  his  vine  to  the  widowed  elm. 

Callimachus  (Epigr.  2)  says:— 

"We  see  the  sun  set  in  pleasing  conversation." 
Thomson  says  of  the  delights  of  peace: — 
"  Fair  Peace!  how  lovely,  how  delightful  thou  I 
By  whose  wide  tie  the  kindred  sons  of  men 
Like  brothers  live,  in  amity  combined, 
And  unsuspicious  faith;  while  honest  toil 
Gives  every  joy,  and  to  those  joys  a  right, 


HORACE.  185 

Which  idle,  barbarous  rapine  but  usurps. 
Beneath  thy  calm  inspiring  influence 
Science  his  views  enlarges,  Art  refines, 
And  swelling  commerce  opens  all  her  ports: 
Bless'd  be  the  man  divine  who  gives  us  thee!  " 

UNCERTAINTY   OF   LIFE. 

Who  knows  whether  the  gods  will  add  to-mor- 
row to  the  present  hour? 

Anacreon  (xv.  9)  says:— 

"To-day  is  my  business:  who  knows  what  to-morrow  will 
bring  forth?  While,  therefore,  it  is  still  fair  weather,  drink, 
play,  and  offer  libations  to  Bacchus." 

Palladas  (xxix.  1,  A.  Br.  ii.  413)  says: — 

"  It  is  fated  to  all  men  to  die,  nor  does  any  one  know 
whether  he  shall  live  to-morrow:  knowing  this,  O  man,  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry." 

A  POET'S  POWER. 

If  the  poet  be  silent,  thou  wilt  not  receive  a  re- 
ward for  your  deeds  of  glory. 

Pindar  (Olymp.  x.  109)  says  thus:— 

"  When  a  man,  Agesidemus,  after  noble  daring,  goes  to  the 
grave  without  the  poet's  lay,  having  labored  for  naught,  he 
gathers  little  fruit  from  his  toils." 

And  again  (Nem.  vii.  20): — 

"  We  know  that  there  ii  only  one  mirror  in  which  noble 
deeds  can  be  eflected— the  heroic  songs  of  the  epic  poet: 
here  only  man  finds  a  reward  for  his  toils  by  the  kindness  of 
the  fan-  Mnemosyne." 

And  again,  in  a  fragment  (Epin.  ii.  4,  p.  3):— 

"  It  is  the  meed  due  to  the  brave  to  be  praised  by  beautiful 
songs.  For  that  only,  which  is  celebrated  in  song,  approaches 
the  glory  of  the  immortals.  A  noble  deed  sunk  in  forgetful- 
ness  perishes  utterly." 

THE   POET. 

The  muse  forbids  the  noble  to  die;  the  muse  en- 
thrones him  in  the  sky. 


186  HORACE. 

Ovid  (Ep.  ex.  Pont.  iv.  8,  55)  thus  speaks  of  the  powers  of 
poetry:— 

"  The  gods  even  are  brought  into  existence  by  the  power  of 
song,  if  we  may  be  forgiven  for  such  an  expression." 

THE  POET'S  POWER. 

Many  brave  men  lived  before  Agamemnon,  but 
all  unwept  and  unknown  sleep  in  endless  night, 
because  tbey  had  no  bard  to  sound  their  praise. 
Merit  hid  from  the  public  gaze  has  little  advantage 
over  sloth  laid  in  the  grave. 
Pindar  (Nem.  ix.  13)  says:— 

"  There  is  a  certain  saying  among  men — that  a  noble  deed 
ought  not  to  be  buried  in  the  silent  grave.    It  is  the  divine 
power  of  song  that  is  suited  to  it." 
And  again  (Nem.  vii.  18) : — 

"  For  great  virtues  are  enveloped  in  thick  darkness,  if  they 
are  unsung  by  the  poet." 
Silius  Italicus  (iii.  145):— 

"  In  what  does  a  life  forgotten  differ  from  death  ?  " 
Spenser,  in  his  "  Ruines  of  Tune  "  (1.  358)  says:— 
"  How  many  great  ones  may  remembered  be, 
Which  in  their  daies  most  famouslie  did  flourish: 
Of  whom  no  word  we  heare,  nor  sign  we  see, 
But  as  things  wipt  out  with  a  sponge  do  perishe, 
Because  they  living  cared  not  to  cherishe 
No  gentle  wits,  thro'  pride  or  covetize, 
Which  might  their  names  for  ever  memorise." 
Milton  ("Paradise  Lost,"  ix.  335)  says: — 

"  And  what  is  faith,  love,  virtue  unassayed 

Alone,  without  exterior  help  sustained." 
And  again  Shakespeare  ("  Measure  for  Measure,"  act  i.,  sc. 

IK— 

"  For  if  our  virtues 
Did  not  go  forth  of  us,  'twere  all  alike 
As  if  we  had  them  not." 
Byron  says: — 

"  Troy  owes  to  Homer  what  whist  owes  to  Hoyle." 
And— 

"  The  present  century  was  growing  blind 
To  the  great  Marlborough's  skill  in  giving  knocks 
Until  his  late  life  by  Archdeacon  Coxe." 


HORACE.  187 

THE  HAPPY  MAN. 

It  is  not  the  rich  man  that  thou  shouldst  rightly 
call  happy,  but  he  who  knows  how  to  use  with 
wisdom  the  gifts  of  the  gods,  and  to  bear  the  an- 
noyances of  poverty  with  patience,  fearing  a  deed 
of  shame  worse  than  death:  such  a  man  is  always 
ready  to  die  for  his  friends  or  fatherland. 
So  Cowper  ("  The  Task,"  book  vi.  1.  912)  says:— 
"  He  is  a  happy  man  whose  life,  e'en  now, 

Shows  somewhat  of  that  happier  life  to  come ; 

Who  doomed  to  an  obscure  but  tranquil  state, 

Is  pleased  with  it,  and.  were  he  free  to  choose, 

Would  make  his  fate  his  choice ;  whom  peace,  the  fruit 

Of  virtue,  and  whom  virtue,  fruit  of  faith, 

Prepare  for  happiness ;  bespeak  him  one 

Content  indeed  to  sojourn,  while  he  must, 

Below  the  skies,  but  having  there  his  home. 

The  world  o'erlooks  him  in  her  busy  search 

Of  objects  more  illustrious  in  her  view; 

And  occupied  as  earnestly  as  she, 

Though  more  sublimely,  he  o'erlooks  the  world; 

She  scorns  his  pleasures,  for  she  knows  them  not; 

He  seeks  not  hers,  for  he  has  proved  them  vain." 

WINE. 

Wine,  that  is  mighty  to  inspire  new  hopes  and 
able  to  wash  away  the  bitters  of  care. 

In  a  fragment  of  the  Cyprian  poems  (8  Meiell.)  Nestor  thus 
addresses  Menelaus: — 

"  Menelaus,  the  gods  have  made  wine  for  mortals  to  dissi- 
pate their  cares." 

ENJOY  THE  PRESENT. 

But  be  up  and  doing,  lay  aside  thy  love  for 
amassing  wealth;  and  remembering  the  gloomy 
pile,  blend  while  thou  mayest  a  little  folly  with 
thy  worldly  schemes:  it  is  pleasant  to  unbend  at 
the  proper  moment. 


iss  IIOSACK. 

Seneca  (De  Tranq.  an.  15)  says:— 

"  Or  if  we  may  believe  the  Greek  poet,  it  is  pleasant  at 
times  to  play  the  fool." 

Calmnachus  (Ep.  36,  2)  says: — 

"  And  to  enjoy  himself  seasonably  over  wine." 

And  Theognis  (313)  says:— 

"Among  the  foolish,  I  am  the  most  foolish;  among  the 
pious,  I  am  the  most  pious  of  all  men." 

FEAB   INCREASED   BY   DISTANCE. 

\ 

Beside  you,  I  shall  be  in  less  fear,  which  is  al- 
ways increased  when  we  are  absent. 

THE  INHABITANT  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

Happy  the  man  who,  far  from  the  busy  haunts 
of  life,  like  the  ancient  race  of  men,  ploughs  his 
paternal  fields  with  his  own  team,  with  mind  un- 
ruffled by  cares  about  money:  he  is  not  like  the 
soldier  roused  by  the  trumpet's  loud  alarm,  nor 
does  he  dread  the  angry  storms  that  harrow  up 
the  deep;  he  abjures  the  law-courts  and  the  inso- 
lent thresholds  of  the  great. 

Aratus  (Phaeuom.  108)  speaks  somewhat  to  the  same  ef- 
fect:— 

"  Men  did  not  as  yet  know  the  miseries  of  strife,  of  con- 
tentious wranglings.  and  tumult.  Thus  they  lived  happily; 
the  dangers  of  the  sea  were  untried;  it  was  not  ships  that 
brought  food  from  distant  countries,  but  oxen  and  ploughs 
that  supplied  it." 

Bacchylides  (Fr.  10.)  thus  speaks  of  the  blessings  of  peace:— 

"  There  is  not  the  clang  of  the  brazen  trumpet,  nor  is  sweet 
sleep  driven  from  the  eyelids." 

In  the  following  fragment  of  Aristophanes  there  is  a  close 
parallel  to  this  passage  (Stob.  Flor.  213):— 

"O  fool,  fool,  all  these  things  are  there,  to  dwell  in  the 
country  on  a  small  property,  away  from  the  business  of  the 
forum,  possessed  of  his  own  yoke  of  oxen,  then  to  listen  to 
the  bleating  of  his  sheep,  and  the  sound  of  the  must  put  into 
the  tub,  and  to  use  for  food  finches  and  thrushes,  not  to  wait 
for  little  trouts  from  the  market  three  days  old,  proved 
valuable  iu  the  roguish  hand  of  the  fishmonger." 


HORACE.  189 

THE   PLEASURES   OF   A  COUNTRY   LIFE. 

I  am  delighted  to  recline,  now  under  some  aged 
oak,  now  on  the  matted  grass;  meanwhile  the 
brooks  glide  along  within  their  high  banks,  the 
birds  mournfully  complain  in  the  woods,  and  the 
fountains  murmur  with  their  purling  waters,  so 
as  to  invite  gentle  sleep. 

How  beautifully  Milton  ("HPenseroso,"  1.  J30)  describes 
the  same  scene: — 

"  And  when  the  sun  begins  to  fling 
His  flaring  beams,  me,  goddess,  bring 
To  arched  walks  of  twilight  groves, 
And  shadows  brown,  that  Sylvan  loves: 
There  in  close  covert,  by  some  brook, 
Where  no  prof  aner  eye  may  look, 
Hide  me  from  day's  garish  eye; 
While  the  bee,  with  honied  thigh, 
That  at  her  flowery  work  doth  sing, 
And  the  waters  murmuring, 
With  such  consort  as  they  keep, 
Entice  the  dewy  feathered  sleep." 
Gray,  in  his  "Elegy,"  says: — 

"  There  at  the  foot  of  yonder  nodding  beach, 

That  wreathes  its  old  fantastic  roots  so  high, 

His  listless  length  at  noontide  would  he  stretch, 

And  pour  upon  the  brook  that  babbles  by." 

A   SCOUNDREL. 

Though  thou  walkest  in  all  the  insolence  of  up- 
start wealth,  fortune  changes  not  thy  scoundrelly 
character. 

Menander  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  960,  M.)  thinks  otherwise  of  the 
power  of  riches: — 

"  The  possession  of  great  wealth  conceals  both  low  birth 
and  a  knavish  character." 

NIGHT   FOR  DEEDS   OF   DARKNESS. 

O  faithful  arbitresses  of  my  deeds,  Night,  and 
Diana,  who  rulest  the  silence  when  secret  solem- 
nities are  performed,  now  be  present. 


190  HORACE. 

Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VI.,"  Part  II.  act  i.  sc.  4)  says:— 
"  Deep  night,  dark  night,  the  silent  of  the  night, 
The  time  when  screech-owls  cry  and  ban-dogs  howl, 
And  spirits  walk,  and  ghosts  break  up  their  graves; 
That  time  best  fits  the  work  we  have  in  hand. 

ENJOY   THE   PKESENT. 

My  friends,  let  us  seize  the  moment  as  it  flies, ' 
and,  while  our  strength  is  fresh  and  it  becomes 
our  youth,  let  the  clouded  brow  of  sadness  be  far 
away.  Bring  forth  the  wine-cask  stored  in  the 
year  of  my  friend  the  consul  Torquatus.  Cease 
to  talk  of  other  things :  perhaps  the  Deity  will  be- 
nignly change  this  gloomy  hour,  aud  bring  back 
to  you  the  joys  of  former  days. 

THE   DISCONTENT   OF   MANKIND. 

How  comes  it,  Maecenas,  that  no  one  lives  con- 
tented with  the  lot  "  unto  which  God  hath  called 
him,"  or  which  accident  has  given  him,  but  en- 
vies the  life  of  those  who  are  following  other  pur- 
suits? 

Maximus  Tyrius,  who  flourished  in  the  time  of  the  Anto- 
nines.  follows  out  the  same  idea  (Diss.  21, 1):— 

"  It  is  difficult  to  find  a  perfect  mode  of  life,  as  well  as  man; 
there  is  always  something  wanting  even  in  the  best:  each 
hankers  after  what  is  his  neighbor's,  wherever  he  thinks  him- 
self inferior.  You  may  see  the  husbandman  pronouncing  the 
citizen  happy,  because  he  leads  a  pleasant  and  joyous  life. 
And  again,  politicians  and  lawyers,  even  the  most  distin- 
guished among  them,  lamenting  their  lot.  and  praying  that 
they  may  spend  their  lives  cultivating  their  own  little  prop- 
erty. Then  thou  wilt  hear  the  soldier  praising  the  life  of  the 
civilian,  and  the  civilian  looking  with  envy  on  that  of  the  sol- 
dier. And  if  any  god,  having  stripped  each  of  his  present 
mode  of  life,  like  players  on  the  stage,  were  to  exchange  it 
for  that  of  his  neighbor,  these  same  individuals  will  long  for 
their  former  mode  of  life,  and  bewail  their  present.  So  diffi- 
cult to  please  is  man;  very  much  so;  discontented,  fearfully 
peevish,  liking  nothing  that  belongs  to  himself." 


HORACE.  191 

Himerius,  who  flourished  A.D.  350,  says  (Ed.  30,  p.  272)  some- 
what to  the  same  effect:— 

"  To  follow  anything  habitually  is  apt  to  produce  ennui,  and 
in  the  case  of  the  powerful  creates  insolence.  We,  who  dwell 
on  land,  seek  the  sea;  and  again,  we  who  plough  the  deep, 
long  for  the  corn  fields.  The  sailor  pronounces  the  husband- 
man happy;  and  again,  the  husbandman  thinks  the  sailor. 
All  these  feelings  are  the  pastimes  of  ennui." 

DEATH  OK  VICTORY. 

The  warrior's  life  is  preferable;  for  why?  the 
battle  joins,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  conies 
speedy  death  or  joyous  victory. 

THE   INCONSISTENCY   OF   MANKIND. 

If  any  god  were  to  say,  Lo !  I  shall  now  do  what 
you  wish;  thou  who  wast  lately  a  soldier  shalt  be 
a  merchant;  thou,  lately  a  lawyer,  shall  be  a 
farmer:  quick,  change  places,  and  be  gone.  Why 
are  you  standing?  They  wouldn't  budge.  And 
yet  they  had  it  in  their  power  to  be  happy  to  their 
utmost  wishes.  Must  not  Jupiter  be  highly  in- 
dignant, and  in  his  rage  puff  out  both  his  cheeks, 
declaring  that  he  will  not  again  be  so  indulgent  as 
to  listen  to  their  prayers. 

TRUTH,  IN   JEST. 

And  yet  what  prevents  us  from  telling  the  truth 
in  a  laughing  way? 

JESTING   APART. 

But  yet,  laying  aside  our  sportive  mood,  let  us 
pursue  our  theme  with  graver  air. 

WHY   HEAP   UP   RICHES? 

What  good  is  it  to  thee  fearfully  to  store  up  se- 
cretly in  the  earth  an  immense  mass  of  silver  and 
gold? 


192  HORACE. 

Luke  xii.  20:— 

"  But  God  said  unto  him,  Thou  fool,  this  night  thy  soul  shah 
be  required  of  thee:  then  whose  shall  those  things  be,  which 
thou  hast  provided? " 

THE    ANT. 

As  the  ant,  little  though  it  is,  for  she  is  a  good 
example  of  laborious  life,  draws  with  its  mouth 
whatever  it  can,  and  adds  to  the  heap  which  it  is 
gathering,  wisely  providing  for  the  future  wants 
which  it  foresees. 

So  Proverb's  (vi.  6):— 

"  Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard;  consider  her  ways,  and  be 
wise." 

Titinius,  who  is  supposed  to  have  flourished  B.C.  170,  thus 
speaks  (apud  Nonium,  p.  224): — 

"  The  husbandman  by  Pollux  is  very  like  to  the  ant." 

THE    MISER. 

As  the  story  goes  of  a  mean,  though  rich  miser 
at  Athens,  who  used  to  despise  the  taunts  of  the 
people  and  say:  "The  people  hiss  me,  indeed,  but 
I  chuckle  at  home  when  I  count  my  money  in  my 
chest."  The  thirsting  Tantalus  tries  to  catch  the 
waters  retreating  from  his  lips.  Why  dost  thou 
smile  ?  Change  the  name,  and  the  tale  is  told  of 
thee.  Thou  sleepest  dozing  with  open  mouth  over 
thy  sacks  of  gold,  while  thy  avarice  forces  thee  to 
spare  them,  as  if  they  were  sacred  to  the  gods,  or 
to  gaze  on  them  like  pictures.  Wouldest  thou 
know  the  value  of  money  or  for  what  it  may  be 
used  ?  Well,  then,  thou  mayest  buy  bread,  pot- 
herbs, wine,  and  all  those  other  comforts,  which 
human  nature  cannot  do  without  and  be  happy. 

Menander  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  921,  M.)  says  to  the  same  effect:— 
"  Money  appears  to  you  to  be  a  servant  able  to  furnish  not 

only  daily  necessaries— bread,  barley,  cakes,  vinegar,  oil— but. 

everything  of  greater  value.'' 


HORACE.  193 

Ben  Jonson  ( "  Every  Man  out  of  his  Humor,"  act  i.) 
says:— 

"  Poor  worms,  they  hiss  at  me,  whilst  I  at  home 
Can  be  contented  to  applaud  myself,    .  .  .  with  joy 
To  see  how  plump  my  bags  are  and  my  barns." 
And  Pope  ( "  Moral  Essays,"  iii.  79)  says: — 
"  What  riches  give  us,  let  us  then  inquire  ? 
Meat,  fire,  and  clothes.    What  more  ?    Meat,  clothes,  and 

fire. 

Is  this  too  little  ? " 

Dean  Kirwan  thus  describes  the  miser: — 
"  Through  every  stage  and  revolution  of  life,  the  miser  re- 
mains invariably  the  same;  or  if  any  difference,  it  is  only  this, 
that  as  he  advances  into  the  shade  of  a  long  evening  he  clings 
closer  and  closer  to  the  object  of  his  idolatry;  and  while 
every  other  passion  lies  dead  and  blasted  in  his  heart,  his  de- 
sire for  more  pelf  increases  with  renewed  eagerness;  and  he 
holds  by  a  sinking  world  with  an  agonizing  grasp,  till  he 
drops  into  the  earth  with  the  increased  curses  of  wretched- 
ness on  his  head,  without  the  tribute  of  a  tear  from  cliild  or 
parent,  or  an  inscription  on  his  memory,  but  that  he  lived  to 
counteract  the  justice  of  Providence,  and  died  without  hope 
or  title  to  a  blessed  immortality." 

MAY  I  BE   POOR   OF   SUCH   BLESSINGS. 

For  my  part,  I  should  prefer  to  be  always  poor 
in  blessings  such  as  these. 

Spenser,  in  his  "  Faery  Queen  "  (ii.  7,  18),  says:— 
"  Far  otherwise  (said  he)  I  riches  read. 
And  deem  them  root  of  all  disquietness; 
First  got  with  guile,  and  preserved  with  dread." 
And  Goldsmith  in  his  "Deserted  Village,"  says:— 
"The  heart  distrusting,  asks  if  this  be  joy." 

THE   GOLDEN   MEAN. 

There  is  a  mean  in  all  things;  there  are,  in  short, 
certain  fixed  limits,  on  either  side  of  which  what 
is  right  cannot  exist. 

Dry  den: — 

"There  is  a  mean  hi  all  things,  and  a  certain  measure 
wherein  the  good  and  the  beautiful  consist,  and  out  of  which 
they  never  can  depart." 
18 


194  HORACE. 

ALL     MANKIND      ANXIOUS    TO    OUTSTRIP    THEIR 
NEIGHBORS. 

As  when  the  steed  hurries  forward  the  chariot 
from  the  barrier,  the  driver  presses  on  those  who 
have  outstripped  him,  caring  nothing  for  those 
whom  he  has  distanced.  Hence  it  happens  that 
we  can  seldom  find  the  man  who  will  say  that  he 
has  passed  a  happy  life,  and  content  with  the  time 
that  has  gone  by,  rise  like  a  satisfied  guest  from 
the  banquet  of  life. 

Aristotle  (apud  Maxim,  et  Anton,  p.  878)  says: — 

"It  is  best  to  rise  from  life  as  from  a  banquet,  neither 
thirsty  nor  drunken." 

And  an  anonymous  -writer  (apud.  Stob.): — 

"  As  I  depart  from  the  banquet  in  no  -ways  dissatisfied,  so 
also  from  life  when  the  hour  comes." 

Sir  Walter  Scott  ( "  Anne  of  Geierstein,"  ch.  xvi.)  used  this 
metaphor:— 

"  Death  is  dreadful,  but,  in  the  first  spring-tide  of  youth,  to 
be  snatched  forcibly  from  the  banquet  to  which  the  individual 
has  but  just  sat  down,  is  peculiarly  appalling." 

And  Pope  ("Essay  on  Man,"Ep.  iii.  1,  C9)  has  the  same 
metaphor:— 

"  The  creature  had  his  feast  of  life  before; 
Thou,  too,  must  perish  when  thy  feast  is  o'er! " 

MOTE  IN   OUR  OWN  EYE. 

While  thou  lookest  on  thine  own  faults  as  if 
through  a  distempered  medium,  why  art  thou  as 
sharp-sighted  to  the  defects  of  thy  friends  as  an 
eagle  or  Epidaurian  serpent.  But  be  assured  that 
the  result  of  this  conduct  is  that  thy  own  faults, 
too,  are  closely  scanned. 

Homer  (II.  xvii.  674)  speaks  of  the  sharp  sight  of  the  eagle:— 

"The  eagle,  which  they  say  is  quickest  in  sight  of  birds 
that  fly." 

Sosicrates  (apud.  Stob.  T.  23,  2):— 

"We  are  quick  to  seethe  evil  in  another;  whem  we  our 
selves  commit  the  same,  we  do  not  recognize  it." 


HORACE.  195 

So  Shakespeare  ( "  Coriolanus,"  act  ii.  sc.  1)  says: — 

"  Oh,  that  you  could  turn  your  eyes  towards  the  napes  of 
your  necks,  and  make  but  an  interior  survey  of  your  good 
selves  1 " 

So  Matthew  vii.  3-5:— 

"  And  why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's 
eye,  but  considerest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ? 
Or  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  Let  me  pull  out  the 
mote  out  of  thine  eye;  and,  behold,  a  beam  is  in  thine  own 
eye  ?  Thou  hypocrite,  first  cast  out  the  beam  out  of  thine  own 
eye;  and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote  out 
of  thy  brother's  eye." 

AN   UNCOUTH   GENIUS. 

If  your  friend  be  somewhat  given  to  passion, 
not  quite  suited  to  the  refined  taste  of  the  men 
nowadays,  to  be  laughed  at  perhaps  because  his 
hair  is  ill-trimmed,  his  gown  hangs  awry,  and  his 
shoes  are  too  large  for  his  feet.  All  this  may  be 
true;  yet  he  is  a  good  fellow,  so  that  there  is  no 
one  better;  he  is  your  intimate  friend,  and  a 
mighty  miiid  lurks  under  his  uncouth  body. 

A  NEGLECTED    FIELD. 

For  the  fern,  fit  only  to  be  burned,  grows  up  in 
uncultivated  ground. 

Bishop  Hall  says:— 

"  The  best  ground  untilled  soonest  runs  out  into  rank  weeds. 
A  man  of  knowledge  that  is  either  negligent  or  uncorrected, 
cannot  but  grow  wild  and  godless." 

Blackmore  on  the  Creation,  says: — 
"  The  glebe  untill'd  might  plenteous  crops  have  borne; 

Rich  fruits  and  flowers,  without  the  gard'ner's  pains, 

Might  every  hill  have  crown'd,  have  honor "d  all  the  plains." 

WE   MISREPRESENT   THE   VIRTUES   OF   OUR 
FRIENDS. 

It  is  this  which  joins  together  and  keeps  friends 
attached.  But  instead  of  following  such  maxims^ 


190  HORACE. 

we  are  only  too  apt  to  take  virtues  even  for  vises, 
and  rejoice  to  begrime  the  untainted  vessel. 

Seneca  (cle  Provid.  vi.)  says:— 

"  This  is  not  a  solid  and  unmixed  happiness;  it  is  mere  out- 
ward crust." 
Shakespeare  ("  Much  Ado,"  act  iii.  so.  1)  says:— 

"  So  turns  she  every  man  the  wrong  side  out." 

ALL   LOADED  WITH  FAULTS. 

How  foolishly  do  we  enact  laws  that  are  turned 
against  ourselves!  For  no  one  is  born  without 
faults:  he  is  the  most  perfect  who  is  subject  to  the 
fewest. 

So  Genesis  viii.  21  :— 

"  For  the  imagination  of  man's  heart  is  evil  from  his  youth." 

FORGIVE  OUR  DEBTORS  AS  WE  WISH  OUR  DEBTS 
TO  BE  FORGIVEN. 

It  is  only  right  that  he  who  asks  forgiveness  for 
his  offences  should  be  prepared  to  grant  it  to 
others. 

Lord  Herbert  says:— 

"  He  that  cannot  forgive  others,  breaks  the  bridge  over 
•which  he  must  pass  himself;  for  every  man  has  need  to  be 
forgiven." 
And  Shakespeare  ("  Measure  for  Measure,"  act  ii.  so.  2): — 

"  Alas!  alas! 

Why,  all  the  souls  that  were,  were  forfeit  once; 
And  he  that  might  the  vantage  best  have  took 
Found  out  the  remedy.    How  would  you  be, 
If  He,  which  is  the  top  of  judgment,  should 
But  judge  you  as  you  are?    O,  think  on  that; 
And  mercy  then  will  breathe  within  your  lips, 
Like  man  new  made." 

SOCIAL   GOOD. 

The  general  sense  of  mankind,  and  the  estab- 
lished customs  of  natious  and   social   good,  which 


HORACE.  197 

may,  as  it  were,  be  called  the  parent  of  justice 
and  equity,  rise  up  in  opposition. 

THE   POETASTER. 

Too  lazy  to  submit  to  the  labor  of  writing,  I 
mean  of  writing  well;  for  as  to  quantity,  I  care 
not  for  that. 

THE   SATIRIST   SPARES   NOT   HIS   FRIEND. 

He  has  hay  on  his  horns,  avoid  him  as  a  furious 
bull;  if  he  can  raise  a  laugh,  he  will  not  spare  his 
best  friend,  and  whatever  he  has  once  scribbled  on 
his  paper,  he  will  never  rest  till  all,  young  and  old, 
even  the  rabble,  returning  from  the  oven  or  well, 
should  be  able  to  repeat  it. 

Pope,  in  his  Imitations  of  Horace  (ii.  sat,  i.  1.  69)  says:— 
"  Satire's  my  weapon,  but  I'm  too  discreet 
To  run  amuck,  and  tilt  at  all  I  meet." 

THE   POET. 

Nor  if  any  one  should  be  able,  as  we  are,  to 
scribble  verses  closely  resembling  prose,  must 
thou  regard  him  as  a  poet.  The  man  who  is  fired 
by  real  genius  and  divine  enthusiasm,  expressing 
himself  in  noble  language,  on  such  an  one  thou 
mayest  bestow  the  sacred  honors  of  a  poet's  name. 

Shakespeare  ("  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  '  act  v.  sc.  1) 

says: — 

"  The  poet's  eye,  in  a  fine  frenzy  rolling, 
Doth  glance  from  heaven  to  earth,  from  earth  to  heaven. 
And  as  imagination  bodies  forth 
The  forms  of  things  unknown,  the  poet's  pen 
Turns  them  to  shapes,  and  gives  to  airy  nothing 
A  local  habitation  and  a  name." 

THE   POET. 

Thou  mayest  also  find  the  scattered  poet's  limbs. 


198  HORACE. 


THE   BACKBITES. 

He  who  backbites  an  absent  friend,  who  does 
not  defend  him  when  he  is  attacked,  who  seeks 
eagerly  to  raise  the  senseless  laugh  and  acquire 
the  fame  of  wit,  who  can  invent  an  imaginary 
romance,  who  cannot  keep  a  friend's  secret;  that 
man  is  a  scoundrel !  mark  him,  Koman,  and  avoid 
him. 

George  Herbert  ("  The  Temple  ")  says:— 

"  If  any  touch  my  friend,  or  his  good  name, 
It  is  my  honor  and  my  love  to  free 

His  blasted  fame 
From  the  least  spot  or  thought  of  blame." 

Alexis (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  717,  M.)  says:— 

"  Nausinicus,  there  are  two  classes  of  parasites:  one  common, 
and  introduced  in  comedies;  one  the  black-hearted." 

Euripides  (Hippol.  1000)  expresses  the  same  idea: — 

"I  am  not  the  derider  of  my  companions,  father,  but  the 
same  to  my  friends,  when  they  are  not  present,  and  when  I 
am  beside  them." 

This  character  is  very  much  the  same  as  Canning's  "  Can- 
did Friend  "  in  the  '•  Anti-Jacobin"  :— 

"  Candor,  which  spares  its  foes,  nor  e'er  descends 
With  bigot  zeal  to  combat  for  its  friends: 
Candor,  which  loves  in  see-saw  strain  to  tell 
Of  acting  foolishly,  but  meaning  well; 
Too  nice  to  praise  by  wholesale  or  to  blame, 
Convinced  that  all  men's  motives  are  the  same; 
And  finds,  with  keen  discriminating  sight, 
Black's  not  so  black,  nor  white  so  very  white, 

Save,  oh  save  me  from  the  candid  friend." 


FOOLISH  JESTIXG. 

If  I  said,  in  idle  raillery,  that  the  silly  Rufillus 
smelt  of  perfumes,  and  Gorgonius  of  a  goat,  must 
I  on  that  account  be  regarded  by  you  as  backbit- 
ing and  envenomed? 


HORACE.  199 

THE   ESSENCE   OF   MALIGNITY. 

This  is  the  very  essence  of  rancorous  detraction; 
this  is  pure  malignity. 

Plutarch  (S.  N.  V.  p.  565,  0.)  says:— 

"  When  malice  is  joined  to  envy,  there  is  given  forth  poison- 
ous and  feculent  matter,  as  ink  from  the  cuttle-fish." 

WOES   OF   ANOTHER. 

As  the  funeral  of  a  neighbor  alarms  the  sick 
glutton,  and  compels  him  to  check  his  appetite 
for  fear  of  death :  so  the  disgraces  of  others  often 
deter  the  youth  not  yet  hardened  from  yielding  to 
incipient  vice. 

ENOUGH  AND  MORE  THAN  ENOUGH. 

"  Enough,  you  scoundrel." 

THE   GENTLEMAN. 

A  gentleman  of  the  most  polished  manners,  An- 
tony, and  a  friend,  so  that  no  one  is  a  greater. 
Tennyson  ("  In  Memoriam,"  can.  x.):— 

"  The  grand  old  name  of  gentleman, 
Defamed  by  every  charlatan, 
And  soiled  with  all  ignoble  use." 

THE   PERFECT   MAN. 

Pure  spirits,  such  as  the  earth  knew  none  more 
so,  and  to  whom  there  is  no  one  more  attached 
than  I  am. 

A  PLEASANT  FRIEND. 

In  my  senses  I  should  compare  no  blessing 
greater  than  a  pleasant  friend. 

Sophocles  (CEd.  Tyr.  (ill)  says:— 

"  For  to  throw  off  a  virtuous  friend,  I  count  as  bad  as  to 
throw  away  one's  own  life,  which  one  loves  best.'' 


200 


TELL,  THAT  TO  THE  MAKtNES. 

Let  a  circumcised  Jew  believe  that. 

THE   FOLLY   OF   THE   MOB. 

Even  the  people,  whose  character  as  judge  thou 
knowest,  asserting  this  to  be  the  case,  —  the  people 
who  often  are  silly  enough  to  bestow  honors  on 
the  unworthy,  and  are  slaves  to  rank,  gazing  in 
stupid  admiration  on  a  long  line  of  titled  ances- 
tors. How  shall  we  decide,  whose  ways  of  think- 
ing are  so  far  removed  from  those  of  the  mere  vul- 
gar mob? 
Shakespeare  (Cor.  act  i.  sc.  1)  says:— 

"  What  would  you  have,  you  curs, 
That  like  nor  peace  nor  war?    The  one  affrights  you, 
The  other  makes  you  proud.    He  that  trusts  to  you 
Where  he  should  find  you  lions,  Cnds  you  hares; 
Wherefores,  geese:  you  are  no  surer,  no, 
Than  is  the  coal  of  fire  upon  the  ice 
Or  hailstone  in  the  sun.    Your  virtue  is    ' 
To  make  him  worthy,  whose  offence  subdues  him, 
And  curse  that  justice  did  it.    Who  deserves  greatness 
Deserves  your  hate,  and  your  affections  are 
A  sick  man's  appetite,  who  desires  most  that 
Which  would  increase  his  evil.    He  that  depends 
.   Upon  your  favors,  swims  with  fins  of  lead, 
And  hews  down  oaks  with  rushes.    Hang  ye, 

Trust  ye, 

With  every  minute  you  do  change  a  mind; 
And  call  him  noble  that  was  now  your  hate, 
Him  vile  that  was  your  garland." 

FAME. 

But  glory,  thou  wilt  say,  leads  all  men,  ignoble 
and  noble,  captive-  at  the  wheels  of  her  glittering 
car. 
Hannah  More  says:  — 

"  Glory  darts  her  soul-pervading  ray 
On  thrones  and  cottages,  regardless  still 
Of  all  the  artificial,  nice  distinctions 
Vain  human  customs  make." 


HORACE.  201 

ALL   MUST   LABOR. 

Life  is  accustomed  to  give  nothing  to  man  with- 
out a  world  of  toil. 

Epieharmus  (Xen.  Mem.  ii.  20)  says:— 

"  The  gods  sell  everything  good  for  labor." 
Sophocles  (Elect.  945)  says:— 

"  Observe,  without  labor  nothing  prospers." 
Euripides  (Fr.  Archel.  11)  says:— 

"  I  have  told  you,  my  boy,  to  search  for  fortune  by  labors, 
for  see  your  father  is  honored." 
So  Genesis  iii.  19: — 

"  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread." 
Shakespeare  ("  As  You  Like  It,"  act  i.  so.  8)  says:— 

"  Oh,  how  full  of  briers  is  this  working-day  world!  " 
"  It  is  not  with  saying  '  Honey,  honey,'  that  sweetness  will 
come  into  the  mouth." 

POWEB   OF   RIDICULE. 

Ridicule  often  cuts  the  Gordian  knot  more  effec- 
tively and  better  than  the  severity  of  satire. 

Cicero  also  (De  Or.  ii.  58)  says:— 

"  The  orator  often  cuts  by  force  of  ridicule  matters  of  a 
vexatious  character,  which  it  is  not  easy  to  answer  by  regular 
argument." 
Churchill  says  of  Ben  Jonson:— 

"  His  comic  humor  kept  the  world  in  awe, 
And  Laughter  frightened  Folly  more  than  Law." 

THE   LABORS   OF   CORRECTION. 

Correct  with  care,  if  thou  expect  to  write  any- 
thing which  shall  be  worthy  of  a  second  perusal. 

AM  I  TO  BE  EXCITED  BY  THE  ATTACKS  OF  FOOLS  ? 

Shall  that  bug  Pantilius  move  my  spleen  ?  Shall 
I  be  tortured  when  Demetrius  abuses  me  in  my 
absence  ?  or  because  the  silly  Fannius,  the  friend 
of  Hermogenes  Tigellius,  finds  fault  with  my 
verses  ? 


202  HOE  ACE. 

Antiphanes  calls  grammarians  (Anthol.  Palat.  xi.  322,  5): — 

"  The  plague  of  poets  .  .  .  the  malicious  biting-bugs  of  the 
sweet- voiced." 

The  Emperor  Adrian  (Philistr.  V.  Sophist.  2,  10)  says  of  the 
attacks  of  a  malicious  slanderer:— 

"  We  bore  all  his  attacks,  calling  the  abuse  of  such  the 
stings  of  bugs." 

SO  MANY  MEN,   SO  MANY  MINDS. 

So  many  men,  so  many  minds. 

Sir  John  Herschel"says:— 

"  There  is  no  accounting  for  the  difference  of  minds  or  in- 
clinations, which  leads  one  man  to  observe  with  interest  the 
development  of  phenomena,  another  to  speculate  on  their 
causes;  but  were  it  not  for  this  happy  disagreement,  it  may 
be  doubted  whether  the  higher  sciences  could  ever  have  at- 
tained even  their  present  degree  of  perfection." 

THE   POET   FOND   OF   PEACE. 

Jupiter,  father  and  king  of  men,  may  my  pen 
be  laid  aside  and  consumed  with  rust,  and  let  no 
one  attack  me,  who  am  so  desirous  of  living  at 
peace  with  all  mankind. 

BEAVARE. 

Better  not  touch  me,  friend,  I  loud  exclaim. 

A   FBIEND   TO   VIRTUE. 

Tolerant  to  virtue  alone  and  her  friends. 

THE  POET  NOT  TO  BE  ATTACKED  WITH  IMPUNITY. 

And  while  seeking  to  fix  his  tooth  against  some 
soft  skin,  he  shall  break  it  against  my  solid 
armor. 

FRUGALITY   AND    MOTHER   WIT. 

My  good  friends,  what  and  how  great  a  virtue 
it  is  to  live  on  the  little  that  the  gods  provide 


HOE  ACE.  203 

(this  is  not  my  lesson,  but  what  was  taught  by 
that  man  of  mother-wit,  Ofellus,  an  untaught 
philosopher,  and  of  rough  common  sense),  come 
learn  with  me. 

FALSE  APPEARANCES. 

The  mind  charmed  by  false  appearances  refuses 
to  admit  better  things. 

Hooker  (E.  P.  V.  ii.  1)  says:— 

"  How  should  the  brightness  of  wisdom  shine,  where  the 
windows  of  the  soul  are  of  very  set  purpose  closed." 

A  BRIBED   JUDGE. 

A  judge,  when  bribed,  is  ill  able  to  probe  the 
truth. 

A   STOMACH   SELDOM  HUNGRY. 

A  stomach  that  is  seldom  empty  despises  com- 
mon food. 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  569,  M.)  says:— 
"  Hunger  makes  everything  sweet  except  itself,  for  want  is 
the  teacher  of  habits." 

PLAIN   DIET. 

Now  mark,  what  and  how  great  blessings  flow 
from  a  frugal  diet.  In  the  first  place,  thou  en- 
joyest  good  health. 

'  THE   RESULTS   OF    INTEMPERANCE. 

Seest  thou  how  pale  the  sated  guest  rises  from 
supper,  when  the  appetite  is  puzzled  by  varieties  ? 
The  body,  too,  burdened  with  yesterday's  excess, 
weighs  down  the  soul,  and  fixes  to  the  earth  this 
particle  of  divine  essence. 

Plato  (Phsed.  c.  33)  has  an  idea  somewhat  to  the  same  ef- 
fect:— 
"  Every  pleasure  and  pain,  being  as  it  wore  a  noil,  uaila  and 


204  HORACE. 

fastens  the  soul  to  the  body,  making  it  to  resemble  the  body, 
as  the  soul  regards  those  things  to  be  true,  which  the  body 
asserts  to  be  so." 

And  Seneca  (De  Brevit.  Vit.  2)  says:— 

"  Vices  are  every  moment  assailing  us,  so  that  we  cannot 
recover  ourselves,  nor  raise  our  eyes  to  examine  the  truth, 
but  are  fastened  to  the  earth  by  our  passions." 

And  again  Seneca  (Ep.  laO)  speaks  of  the  mind:— 

"  The  mind  of  God,  a  part  of  which  has  passed  into  the 
breast  of  man." 


ADVANTAGES  OF  TEMPER  AXCE. 

And  yet  this  abstemious  man  may  on  certain 
occasions  have  recourse  to  better  cheer,  when  the 
returning  year  brings  back  some  festive  day,  or 
the  wasted  body  requires  more  genial  fare,  or 
when  years  increase  and  the  feebleness  of  age  may 
claim  some  kinder  treatment.  If  thou  in  the 
prime  of  life  and  vigor  of  health  enjoyest  the 
luxuries  of  the  world,  what  wilt  thou  be  able  to 
add  when  age  and  sickness  comes  ? 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  xi.  1.  633)  says: — 

"  If  thou  well  observe 

The  rule  of  Not  too  much,  by  temperance  taught, 

In  what  thou  eat'st  and  drink'st;  seeking  from  thence 

Due  nourishment,  not  gluttonous  delight, 

Till  many  years  over  thy  head  return; 

So  mayst  thou  live;  till,  like  ripe  fruit,  thou  drop 

Into  thy  mother's  lap,  or  be  with  ease 

Gather'd,  not  harshly  pluck'd,  for  death  mature." 


Dost  thou  pay  regard  to  fame  as  that  which 
charms  the  ear  of  man  more  sweetly  than  music  ? 
Milton  ("  Lycidas,"  1.  70)  says:— 
"  Fame  is  the  spin-  that  the  clear  spirit  doth  raise 
(That  last  infirmity  of  noble  minds) 
To  scorn  delights  and  live  laborious  days; 
But  the  fair  guerdon  when  we  hope  to  find, 


HO  h  ACE.  205 

And  think  to  burst  out  into  sudden  blaze, 
Comes  the  blind  Fury,  with  the  abhorr'd  shears, 
And  slits  the  thin-spun  life." 

Sheridan  ("  Pizarro,"  act  iii.  sc.  3)  says:— 
"  My  ears  (were  framed)  to  own  no  music  but  the  thrilling 
records  of  his  praise." 

THE   USE   THAT   MIGHT   BE    MADE   OF  THE    MISER'S 
MONEY. 

Why  does  any  man,  who  deserves  not  to  be  poor, 
live  in  deep  distress,  whilst  thou  art  wallowing 
in  riches  ?  Why  are  the  ancient  temples  of  the 
gods  falling  to  ruins  ?  Why,  thou  wretch,  dost 
thou  not  spare  something  of  that  treasure  for  thy 
dear  country  ?  Thinkest  thou  that  thou  alone 
shalt  always  bask  in  the  sunshine  of  prosperity  ? 
Thou  f uture  laughing-stock  to  thy  deadly  foe ! 

NOTHING  CERTAIN. 

For  nature  has  assigned  the  land  as  a  perpetual 
inheritance  neither  to  him  nor  me,  nor  any  one. 
He  turned  me  out,  but  his  own  follies,  or  the 
knaveries  of  the  law,  or  a  long-lived  heir,  shall 
turn  out  him  at  last.  The  farm  now  belonging  to 
Umbrenus,  lately  to  Ofellus,  will  be  the  lasting 
property  of  no  one,  but  the  usufruct  will  pass  now 
to  me,  now  to  another:  wherefore  live  with  an 
unyielding  spirit,  and  present  a  firm  breast  to  the 
frowns  of  fortune. 

We  find  the  same  idea  (Anthol.  Palat.  II.  p.  27):— 

"I  was  once  the  field  of  Achasmenides,  but  now  of  Menip- 
pus:  and  again  I  shall  go  from  one  to  another.  For  the  for- 
mer once  thought  that  he  possessed  me,  and  now  the  latter 
thinks  so,  yet  I  am  wholly  belonging  to  none  but  to  Fortune." 

Luciin  (De  Nigrino,  c.  26)  says:— 

"  Who  being  in  possession  of  a  field  not  far  from  the  city, 
did  not  imagine  that  he  would  saunter  "over  it  for  many  years, 


206  HOE  ACE. 

so  little  so  that  he  did  not  enter  into  any  legal  agreement  that 
he  should  have  authority  over  it,  believing,  I  suppose,  that  we 
are  lords  of  none  of  these  things  by  nature,  but  by  law  and 
inheritance  enjoying  the  use  of  them  for  an  uncertain  period, 
are  regarded  their  masters  for  a  short  period,  and  when  the 
fixed  time  is  passed,  then  some  one  else  receiving  it  enjoys 
the  title." 

So  1  Corinthians  xvi.  13: — 

"Watch  ....  quit  you  like  men,  be  strong." 

INDOLENCE. 

Idolence,  that  dangerous  Siren,  must  be  es- 
chewed, or  thou  must  be  content  to  yield  up  what- 
ever thou  hast  acquired  by  the  nobler  exertions  of 
thy  life. 

Chaucer  says:— 

"  Ydelness,  that  is  the  gate  of  all  harmes, 
An  ydil  man  is  like  an  hous  that  heth  noone  walles; 
The  devils  may  enter  on  every  side." 

BUSY-BODIES. 

I  attend  to  the  business  of  other  men  regardless 
of  my  own. 

ALL,  WANDER   FROM   THE   RIGHT   PATH. 

As,  in  a  wood,  where  travellers  stray  from  the 
direct  path,  one  to  the  left,  another  to  the  right, 
all  are  mistaken,  but  they  are  so  in  different  ways. 

POWER   OF    GOLD. 

For  everything,  virtue,  glory,  honor,  things  hu- 
man and  divine,  all  are  slaves  to  riches. 

EXPLAINING  ONE  DIFFICULTY  BY  ANOTHER. 

An  illustration  which  solves  one  difficulty  by 
raising  another,  settles  nothing. 


HORACE:  207 

TWIN   BROTHERS. 

A  noble  pair  of  brothers,  twins,  in  truth. 

WHITE   OR   BLACK  DAY. 

Days  to  be  marked  with  chalk  or  coal. 

THE   ANNOYANCES  OF   LOVE. 

In  love  these  are  the  miseries,  now  a  state  of 
war  and  then  of  peace,  if  any  one  were  to  try  to 
give  steadiness  to  such  a  life  which  is  almost  more 
changeable  than  the  weather  and  floats  about  in 
blind  disorder,  he  would  succeed  no  better  than  if 
lie  should  attempt  to  play  the  madman  in  accord- 
ance with  right  reason  and  rule. 

TO   ADD   FUEL  TO   THE   FLAME. 

To  the  folly  of  love  add  the  bloodshed  which  it 
often  occasions,  and  stir,  as  they  say,  the  fire  with 
the  sword. 

A  LIKENESS. 

This  image  is  not  very  unsuited  to  thy  own  con- 
dition. 

HIGH   BIRTH   NOTHING   WITHOUT    WEALTH. 

High  descent  and  meritorious  deeds,  unless 
united  to  wealth,  are  more  vile  than  very  sea-weed. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Aim.  8)  says:— 

"But  high  birth  is  nothing  compared  to  riches;  for  riches 
place  even  the  basest  among  the  highest." 

TO   LIVE   WITH   THE   GREAT. 

For  thou  oughtest  to  know,  seeing  thou  livest 
near  to  the  gods. 

THE   PLEASURES   OF   A  COUNTRY  LIFE. 

O  country,  when  shall  I  behold  thee,  and  be  al- 


208  HORACE. 

lowed  to  drink  a  sweet  oblivion  of  the  cares  of 
life,  musing  on  the  works  of  ancient  sages,  or  in 
gentle  sleep  and  hours  of  peaceful  abstraction 
from  the  world's  busy  scenes!  Oh  when  shall  I 
have  served  up  to  me  my  frugal  supper  of  beans,  re- 
lated as  is  said  to  Pythagoras,  and  pot-herbs  soaked 
in  rich  lard!  Oh  joyous  nights  and  banquets, 
which  the  gods  themselves  might  envy !  at  which 
my  friends  and  I  regale  ourselves  by  my  own 
fireside,  while  my  petulant  slaves  enjoy  what  their 
master  has  left.  Every  guest  may  drink  at  dis- 
cretion, unshackled  by  absurd  laws,  the  strong- 
headed  draining  to  the  dregs  the  brimming 
bumper,  while  the  weak  grow  mellow  on  a  mod- 
erate glass. 

Antiphanes  (Ecc.  Grot.  p.  637)  says:  — 
"  For  it  is  the  life  of  the  gods,  when  thou  hast  wherewith  to 
sup  without  thought  of  the  reckoning." 
In  Cowper's  "Task  "  we  find  (1.  170): — 

"  The  customary  rites 

Of  the  last  meal  commence ;  a  Roman  meal. 
Discourse  ensues,  not  trivial,  yet  not  dull, 
Nor  such  as  with  a  frown  forbids  the  play 
Of  fancy,  or  proscribes  the  sound  of  mirth. 

Themes  of  a  graver  tone, 
Exciting  oft  our  gratitude  and  love, 
While  we  retrace,  with  memory's  pointing  wand, 
That  calls  the  past  to  our  exact  review, 
The  dangers  we  have  'scaped  .  .  . 
Oh  evenings  worthy  of  the  gods:  exclaimed 
The  Sabine  bard.'' 

Keats  ("Sonnets"')  thus  expresses  the  same  idea  of  love  of 
country  life: — 

"  To  one  who  has  been  long  in  city  pent, 

'Tis  very  sweet  to  look  into  the  fair 
,  And  open  face  of  heaven  to  breathe  a  prayer 
Full  in  the  smile  of  the  blue  firmament.'1 

ENJOY  THE   PRESENT. 

My  good  friend,  come  on,  take  my  advice,  since 


HORACE.  209 

animals  have  by  heaven's  decree  no  existence  af- 
ter death,  and  there  is  no  escape  from  death  to 
great  or  small,  be  merry  while  thou  mayest,  be 
mindful  of  how  short  a  span  of  life  thou  hast. 

Apollodorus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1108,  M.)  says:— 
"  When  I  was  a  young  man,  I  pitied  those  cut  off  prema- 
turely; but  now  when  I  see  the  burial  of  the  old,  I  weep;  for 
this  refers  to  me,  and  that  did  not." 

CHANGEABLENESS    OF   HITMAN   NATURE. 

A  part  of  mankind  pursue  one  unwearied  course 
of  crime,  and  go  on  with  steady  aim;  another 
oscillate  backwards  and  forwards,  now  gliding 
along  the  path  of  virtue,  and  then  the  path  of  vice. 

THE   STRONG-MINDED. 

The  more  consistent  a  man  is  in  a  vicious  course, 
so  much  is  he  less  wretched  and  better  off  than  he 
who  one  while  struggles  against  his  passions  and 
the  next  instant  yields  to  their  violence. 

THE    WISE   MAN. 

Who,  then,  is  free?  The  wise  who  can  com- 
mand his  passions,  who  fears  not  want,  nor  death, 
nor  chains,  firmly  resisting  his  appetites  and  de- 
spising the  honors  of  the  world,  who  relies  wholly 
on  himself,  whose  angular  points  of  character 
have  all  been  rounded  off  and  polished. 

THE   RESULTS   OF   ADVERSITY   AND   PROSPERITY. 

Adversity  usually  reveals  the  genius  of  a  gen- 
eral, -\yhile  good  fortune  conceals  it. 

INCREASING    AGE. 

His  youth,  his  genius  now  no  more  the  same. 
12 


210  HORACE. 

Byron  says:— 

"  My  days  of  love  are  over:  me  no  more 

The  charms  of  maid,  wife,  and  still  less  of  widow. 
Can  make  the  fool  of,  that  they  made  before; 
In  fact  I  must  not  lead  the  life  I  do." 

And  again: — 

"  Now  my  sere  fancy  '  falls  into  the  yellow 
Leaf,'  and  imagination  droops  her  pinion: 
And  the  sad  truth,  which  hovers  o'er  my  desk, 
Turns  wliat  was  once  romantic  to  burlesque." 

THE   WORN-OUT   STEED. 

Be  wise  and  release  from  the  chariot  in  time 
thy  aged  steed,  lest  he  become  the  object  of  laugh- 
ter, dragging  on  behind  and  show  his  broken 
wind. 

TH"E   PURSUIT  OF   TRUTH. 

I  ponder  in  deep  earnestness,  and  search  out 
what  is  true  and  becoming  to  man,  and  my  every 
thought  is  thus  engaged. 

HTDEPEXBEXCE. 

Bound  by  no  ties  to  maintain  the  tenets  of  any 
master,  I  am  borne  hither  and  thither,  as  my  in- 
clination leads  me,  without  a  fixed  object;  now, 
like  the  Stoics,  I  am  a  plodding  citizen,  and 
live  amidst  the  bustle  of  public  life,  the  stern 
guardian  and  asserter  of  untainted  virtue;  now 
I  glide  insensibly  back  to  the  doctrines  of  Aris- 
tippus,  and  instead  of  accommodating  myself  to 
circumstances,  make  circumstances  bend  to  me. 

Pope  (''  Essay  on  Man,"  ep.  iv.  1.  831)  says: — 

"  Slave  to  no  sect,  who  takes  no  private  road, 
But  looks  through  nature  up  to  nature's  God." 


HORACE.  211 

Shakespeare  ("  Jul.  Cacs."  act  i.  sc.  2)  says:— 
"  I  cannot  tell  what  you  and  other  men 
Think  of  this  life;  but  for  my  single  self, 
I  had  as  lief  not  be,  as  live  to  be 
In  awe  of  such  a  thing  as  I  myself." 

IT  IS   SOMETHING   TO  BE  ADVANCING  IN  THE   PATH 
OF   VIKTUE. 

It  is  always  in  our  power  to  advance  to  a  cer- 
tain point,  if  it  is  not  allowed  us  to  go  farther. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  A  GOOD  EDUCATION. 

Let  a  man  be  ever  so  envious,  passionate,  indo- 
/  lent,  drunken,  amorous,  yet  there  is  no  one  such  a 
slave  to  passion  that  he  may  not  be  improved,  if 
he  would  only  lend  a  docile  ear  to  the  lessons  of 
wisdom.  It  is  some  approach  to  virtue  to  try  to 
get  rid  of  vicious  propensities,  and  the  highest 
wisdom  is  to  be  free  from  folly. 

Thus  we  find  in  Brunck  (P.  Gnom.,  p.  320):— 
"  Education  civilizes  all  men." 

So  Isaiah  a.  18):— 

"  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as 
snow;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as 
wool." 


MONEY. 

Silver  yields  to  gold,  gold  to  virtue.  Ye  citizens 
of  Rome,  folly  cries,  money  ought  to  be  the  first 
object  of  pursuit,  virtue  is  but  a  secondary 
thought, 

Theognis  (699)  says:— 

"With  most  men  riches  are  regarded  the  prime  virtue; 
with  some  again  they  are  an  object  of  contempt. "  ' 

Sophocles  (Fr.  Creusa,  iv.  5)  says:— 

"  All  other  things  in  comparison  with  riches  are  of  second- 
ary importance  with  men." 


212  HOB  ACE. 

A   GOOD   CONSCIENCE. 

Be  this  thy  brazen  bulwark  of  defence  to  pre- 
serve a  conscience  void  of  offence  and  never  to 
turn  pale  with  guilt. 

Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VI.,"  Part  II.  act  iii.  sc.  2)  says: — 
"What  stronger  breast-plate  than  a  heart  untainted? 
Thrice  is  he  arm'd  that  hath  his  quarrel  just; 
And  he  but  naked,  though  lock'd  up  in  steel, 
Whose  conscience  with  injustice  is  corrupted." 
And  again  ("  Henry  VIH.,"   act  iii.  sc.  2):— 

"  I  feel  within  me 
A  peace  above  all  earthly  dignities, 
A  still  and  quiet  conscience." 

MONEY  TO     BE   GOT    IN   ANY  WAY. 

My  friend,  put  money  in  thy  purse,  honestly  if 
thou  canst,  if  not,  at  any  rate  put  money  in  thy 
purse. 

Johnson  ("Every  Man  in  his  Humor,"  act  ii.  sc.  3): — 
"  Get  money;  still  get  money,  boy; 
No  matter  by  what  means." 

STEPS   NOT   RETURNING   TERRIFY. 

For  I  am  terrified  by  observing  all  the  steps  go- 
ing towards  thy  den,  and  none  returning. 

PROTEUS. 

With  what  chains  shall  I  be  able  to  bind  this 
ever-changing  Proteus. 

CHANGEABLENESS  OF   MAN. 

What  dost  thou  do  when  the  sentiments  of  my 
mind  are  equally  as  much  at  variance  with  each 
other;  it. refuses  what  it  coveted  and  desires  again 
what  it  lately  rejected ;  it  is  in  continual  turmoil 
and  inconsistent  with  itself  in  the  whole  tenor  of 
life;  it  pulls  down,  builds  up.  changes  squire  for 


HORACE.  213 

round;  yet  thou  only  reyjardest  me  as  mad  in  the 
same  way  as  the  rest  of  the  world. 

VICE   AND   VIKTUE. 

Who  tells  what  is  becoming,  what  is  base,  what 
is  useful,  what  is  the  reverse? 

SUBJECT  SUFFERS   WHEN  KINGS  DISPUTE. 

The  Greeks  suffer  for  the  follies  of  their  princes. 
Inside  and  outside  the  walls  of  Troy,  sedition, 
fraud,  lust,  and  violence  are  everywhere  found. 

THE   VULGER   HERD. 

We  are  mere  cyphers,  and,  like  the  suitors  of  Pe- 
nelope, formed  by  nature  to  devour  the  fruits  of 
the  earth,  mere  effeminate  and  luxurious  subjects 
of  Alcinous,  a  race  too  much  occupied  with  the 
pleasures  of  the  table,  whose  delight  is  to  sleep 
till  mid-day  and  sooth  our  cares  with  melting  airs 
of  music. 

Euripides  (Heracleid.  937)  says:— 

"  Knowing  that  thy  son  was  not  one  of  the  many,  but  really 
a  man  of  note." 
•  And  again  (Troacl.  475): — 

"  And  I  then  gave  birth  to  children  of  distinguished  bravery 
not  merely  belonging  to  the  mass,  but  the  chiefest  among 
the  Phrygians." 

Shakespeare  ("  Coriolanus."  act  iii.  sc.  l)callsthem: — 
"  The  mutable  rank-scented  many.  " 

WISDOM. 

Unless  thou  callest  for  a  book  and  lights  before 
break  of  day,  devoting  thy  thoughts  to  honorable 
pursuits  and  studies,  in  thy  waking  moments  thou 
wilt  be  the  slave  of  envious  or  amorous  passions. 
For  why  dost  thou  make  haste  to  remove  the  things 
which  offend  the  eye,  but  if  any  distemper  prey 
upon  thy  mind,  why  dost  thou  delay  from  year  to 


214  HORACE. 

year  to  apply  a  remedy?  He  who  has  begun,  has 
his  work  half  done.  Dare  to  be  wise ;  begin.  He 
who  puts  off  from  hour  to  hour  the  act  of  living 
wisely,  is  like  the  rustic  who  sits  waiting  on  the 
bank  till  the  river  floats  past,  but  it  does,  and  will 
roll  on  in  an  unbroken  stream  till  time  shall  be  no 
more. 

Sophocles  in  a  fragment  says  (I.  T.  Iviii.  2):— 
"  If  any  one  has  begun  a  work  well,  it  is  likely  that  he  will 
come  to  a  good  ending." 
Wordsworth  ("The  Fountain  ")  says:— 

"No  check,  no  stay  this  streamlet  fears, 

How  merrily  it  goes ! 
"Twill  murmur  on  a  thousand  years 

And  flow  as  now  it  flows." 
And  in  Tennyson's  "iBrook:  "— 

"  But  1  go  on  forever." 

A  COMPETENCE. 

Let  him  who  is  blessed  with  a  competence  wish 
for  nothing  more. 

PLEASURE,    ANGER. 

Unless  the  vessel  be  pure,  whatever  thou  pourest 
into  it  grows  sour.  Despise  pleasures;  pleasure, 
bought  with  pain  is  hurtful.  The  avaricious  is 
always  poor;  set  fixed  bounds  to  thy  desires.  The 
envious  sickens  at  another's  joys;  Sicily's  ty- 
rants could  not  invent  a  greater  torment  than  envy. 
He  who  cannot  control  his  angry  passions,  will  wish 
undone  what  mad  resentment  shall  have  prompted, 
while  he  hastens  to  gratify  his  feelings  of  insatiate 
hate.  Anger  is  a  brief  fit  of  madness;  govern  thy 
temper  which  rules,  unless  it  is  under  thy  control; 
curb  it  with  bit;  bind  it  in  chains.  The  docile  colt  is 
formed  by  gentle  skill  to  move  obedient  to  the 
rider's  will.  The  hound  is  taught  to  bay  in  the 
woods  from  the  time  when  he  has  barked  at  a  buck- 


HORACE.  215 

skin  hung  up  in  the  court-yard.  Now  in  the  days 
of  thy  youth  drink  in  thy  pure  breast  the  words  of 
instruction;  put  thyself  under  those  who  are  wiser 
than  thyself.  A  jar  will  long  retain  the  odor  of 
the  liquor  with  which,  when  new,  it  was  first  sea- 
soned. 
Moore  says: — 

"  You  may  break,  you  may  shatter  the  vase,  as  you  will, 
But  the  scent  of  the  roses  will  hang  round  it  still." 

BOUNTY  OF   THE   GODS   TO   MAN. 

Nature  did  not  form  thee  a  mere  senseless  clod  of 
earth.  The  gods  have  bestowed  on  thee  beauty, 
riches,  and  taught  thee  how  to  enjoy  them. 

Menander  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  889,  M.)  says: — 
"  Happy  the  man  who  has  wealth  and  sense;  for  he  can 
use  it  rightly  for  what  is  required." 

AN  EPICtTKEAN. 

What  more  could  an  affectionate  nurse  pray  for 
her  dear  boy  than  that  he,  like  thou,  be  blessed 
with  wisdom,  eloquence,  public  influence,  good 
health,  and  the  comforts  of  life,  with  a  purse  that 
never  fails  in  time  of  need?  'Midst  hopes  and 
cares,  fears  and  passions,  never  forget  that  this 
may  be  the  last  day  that  shall  ever  dawn  upon 
thee.  The  day  that  comes  unlocked  for  will  shine 
with  double  lustre.  Thou  wilt  find  me  fat  and 
sleek,  in  good  plight,  whenever  thou  carest  to  visit 
a  hog  by  Epicurus  fed. 

See  Bishop  Kerr's  "  Morning  Hymn": — 

"  Live  this  day  as  if  the  last." 

FORTUNE. 

If  I  am  not  allowed  to  use  the  gifts  of  fortune, 
what  benefit  are  they  to  me  when  they  come  ? 


216  HORACE. 

WINE. 

What  can  wine  not  effect  ?  It  brings  to 
the  hidden  secrets  of  the  soul,  gives  being  to  pur 
hopes,  bids  the  coward  fight,  drives  dull  care 
away,  teaches  new  means  for  the  accomplishment 
of  our  wishes:  whom  have  the  soul-inspiring  cups 
not  made  eloquent?  Even  in  the  depth  of  pov- 
erty, whom  has  it  not  relieved? 

Aristotle  (Ethic,  iii.  8)  says:— 

"  This  is  the  case  with  drunken  men;  for  they  become  san- 
guine in  hope." 

Diphilus,  as  quoted  by  Athenaeus  (ii.  2),  says: — 

"  O  Bacchus,  most  grateful  to  the  wise  and  also  most 
wise  in  thyself,  how  pleasant  thou  art !  who  alone  causest  the 
poor  to  have  lofty  thoughts  of  himself,  makest  the  grave  to 
laugh,  the  timid  to  be  daring,  and  the  coward  to  be  brave." 

Alcseus  (Fr  44,  S.)  says:— 

"  For  wine  is  a  mirror  to  men." 

And  ^Eschylus  (Fr.  13)  says:—  , 

"  Polished  brass  is  the  mirror  of  the  body  and  wine  of  the 

mind." 

Shakespeare  ("  Othello,"  act  ii.  sc.  3)  says:— 
"  Come,  come;  good  wine  is  a  good  familiar  creature,  if  it 

be  well  used;  exclaim  no  more  against  it." 

CALMNESS. 

Not  to  be  startled  by  anything  that  appears,  is 
of  all  means  the  best  to  make  and  keep  us  happy. 
There  are  some  men  so  little  under  the  influence 
of  this  feeling  that  they  can  look  unmoved  at  yon 
sun  in  the  firmament,  the  stars,  and  the  ever-vary- 
ing changes  of  the  seasons  that  take  place  at  fixed 
periods. 

Plato  (Theaet.  c.  xi.),  however,  says  the  very  opposite  of 
this:— 

"  For  wonder  is  very  much  the  affection  of  a  philosopher; 
for  there  is  no  other  beginning  of  philosophy  than  this." 


HORACE.  217 

And  Aristotle  (Metaph.  i.  2)  says:— 

"  It  was  through  the  feeling  of  wonder  that  men  now  and  at 
first  began  to  philosophize." 

Cicero  (Tusc.  v.  28),  however,  says: — 

"  No  wise  man  ought  to  wonder  at  anything,  when  it 
happens,  so  that  it  should  appear  to  have  happened  sudden 
and  unexpected  to  him." 

We  find  Dante  (Purgat.  xxvi.  71)  express  himself  thus:— 

"  Amaze. 
Not  long  the  inmate  of  a  noble  heart." 

Perhaps  Horsely,  in  his  "  Sermons  "  (vol.  i.  p.  237),  gives 
the  best  idea  of  this  quality; — 

"Wonder,  connected  with  a  principle  of  rational  curiosity, 
is  the  source  of  all  knowledge  and  discovery,  and  it  is  a 
principle  even  of  piety;  but  wonder,  which  ends  in  wonder, 
and  is  satisfied  with  wonder,  is  the  quality  of  an  idiot." 

Jeremiah  (x.  2)  says:— 

"  Learn  not  the  way  of  the  heathen,  and  be  not  dismayed  at 
the  signs  of  heaven ;  for  the  heathen  are  dismayed  at  them." 

St.  Augustine  (Serin.  1500)  says:— 

"  Tell  us,  Epicurus,  What  makes  a  man  happy  ?  Answer, 
The  pleasure  of  the  senses.  Tell  us,  Stoic,  The  virtue  of  the 
mind.  Tell  us,  Christian,  The  gift  of  God. " 

GOLDEN   MEAN. 

Let  the  wise  be  called  a  fool,  the  followers  of 
what  is  right  as  the  opposite,  if  they  both  pursue 
virtue  itself  beyond  the  bounds  of  moderation. 

Cicero  (Tusc.  iv.  25)  says  somewhat  to  the  same  effect: — 
"  The  pursuit  even  of  the  best  of  things  ought  to  be  calm 
and  tranquil." 

TIME. 

Time  will  bring  to  light  whatever  is  hidden ;  it 
will  conceal  and  cover  up  what  is  now  shining 
with  the  greatest  splendor. 

Sophocles  (Ajax,  646)  says:— 

"  Time,  the  long,  the  countless,  brings  to  view  everything 
that  is  hidden,  and  conceals  what  is  disclosed." 
Antoninus,  in  his  "  Meditations"  (ix.  28),  says:  — 
"  The  things  of  this  world  revolve  in  a  circle  up  and  down," 


218  HOB  ACE. 

from  age  to  age;  by  and  by  the  earth  will  cover  us  up,  and 
then  it  will  change  us  to  something  else." 
Euripides  (,<Eol.  Fr.  26)  says:— 

"Time  will  unveil  all  things  to  posterity;  it  is  a  chatterer 
and  speaks  to  those  who  do  not  question  it." 
Shakespeare  ("  Troilus  and  Cressida."  act  iii.  sc.  3)  says: — 

"  Beauty,  wit, 

Big'i  birth,  vigor  of  bone,  desert  in  service, 
Love,  friendship,  charity,  are  subjects  all 
To  envious  and  calumniating  time." 
So  Matthew  (x.  26):— 

"For  there  is  nothing  covered,  that  shall  not  be  revealed; 
and  hid,  that  shall  not  be  known. 

VIRTUE. 

If  virtue  alone  can  accomplish  this,  give  up  thy 
luxurious  life  and  resolutely  pursue  her.  If  thou 
think  virtue  to  be  a  mere  name,  as  groves  are 
groves,  take  care  less  some  one  else  reach  the  port 
before  thee. 

The  last  words  of  Brutus  (Dion  xlvii.  49)  were: — 

"  O  wretched  Virtue,  thou  wast  then  a  mere  name,  for  I 

followed  thee  as  a  real  business,  whereas  thou  wast  a  slave  to 

Fortune." 

Shakespeare  ("  Hamlet,"  act  iii.  sc.  4)  says:— 
"  Such  a  deed  .  .  .  sweet  religion  makes  a   rhapsody  of 

words." 

GOLD. 

For  gold,  the  sovereign  queen  of  all,  can  bestow 
a  wife  with  a  large  dowry,  credit,  friends,  birth, 
and  beauty.  Persuasion  and  Venus  pay  their 
court  to  the  well-moneyed  man. 

HOW   HAPPINESS   IS   TO   BE    PROCURED. 

If  riches  alone  can  make  and  keep  a  man  happy, 
early  and  late,  we  should  toil  to  procure  this 
blessing;  if  splendor  and  the  breath  of  popular 
applause  make  a  man  happy,  come,  let  us  pur- 


HORACE.  219 

chase  a  slave  to  tell  us  the  name  of  our  fellow- 
citizens. 

LICENTIOUS. 

The  abandoned  crew  of  Ulysses  wno  preferred 
the  enjoyment  of  forbidden  pleasure  to  a  return 
to  their  fatherland. 

MIRTH. 

If,  as  Mimnermus  thinks,  there  is  nothing  pleas- 
ant without  love  and  mirth,  live  then  a  life  of  love 
and  mirth.  Long  mayest  thou  live ;  farewell.  If 
thou  canst  suggest  anything  better  than  such 
maxims  as  these,  impart  them,  if  not,  make  use  of 
what  I  place  before  thee. 

Amphis  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  646,  M.)  says: — 

"Drink and  play:  life  is  mortal;  there  is  little  time  upon 
earth:  death  is  eternal  when  we  are  once  dead." 

Mimnermus  (Fr.  1,  S.)  says: — 

"  What  is  life?  what  pleasure  is  there  without  the  presence 
of  golden  Venus?  May  I  die,  when  such  things  are  no  longer 
cared  for  by  me." 

Shakespeare  ("  Taming  of  the  Shrew,"  Ind.  sc.  2)  says:— 

"  Frame  your  mind  to  mirth  and  merriment, 
Which  bars  a  thousand  harms,  and  lengthens  life." 

THE   GOOD  AND   WISE   MAN. 

The  spendthrift  and  fool  gives  away  what  he 
despises  and  hates.  It  is  such  a  soil  as  this  that 
has  produced  and  will  produce  at  all  times  a  crop 
of  ungrateful  men.  The  good  and  wise  declare 
that  they  are  ready  to  bestow  favors  on  the 
worthy,  and  yet  are  not  ignorant  of  the  difference 
between  a  coin  and  a  counter. 

Seneca  (Ep.  130)  says:— 

"  There  are  many  who  do  not  give,  but  throw  away  their 
money." 


220  HORACE. 

GIVE  BACK   MY  YOUTH. 

But  if  thou  be  unwilling  that  I  should  leave, 
them  wilt  have  to  give  me  back  my  healthful 
lungs,  my  coal-black  hair  over  my  narrow  fore- 
head ;  thou  wilt  have  to  give  me  back  my  beauti- 
ful toned  voice ;  thou  wilt  have  to  give  me  back 
my  enticing  smile,  and  my  feelings  of  regret  for 
the  escape  of  the  wanton  Cinara  over  my  wine. 

This  is  thus  paraphrased  by  Lord  Melbourne  (see  "  Hay- 
ward's  Essays"):— 

"  Tis  late,  and  I  must  haste  away, 

My  usual  hour  of  rest  is  near: 
And  do  you  press  me  yet  to  stay; 

To  stay,  and  revel  longer  here? 
Then  give  me  back  the  scorn  of  care 

Which  spirits  light  in  health  allow, 
And  give  me  back  the  dark  brown  hair 

Which  curl'd  upon  my  even  brow ; 
And  give  me  back  the  sportive  jest, 

Which  once  could  midnight  hours  beguile; 
The  life  that  bounded  in  my  breast, 

And  joyous  youth's  becoming  smile. 
And  give  me  back  the  fervid  soul 

Which  love  inflamed  with  strange  delight, 
When  erst  I  sorrowed  o'er  the  bowl 

At  Chloe's  coy  and  wanton  flight. 
'Tis  late  .  .  . 
But  give  me  this,  and  I  will  stay,— 

Will  stay  till  morn,  and  revel  here." 

LITTLE   FOLKS. 

For  little  folks  become  their  little  fate. 
So  Callimachus  (Fr.  179):— 
"  The  gods  always  give  little  things  to  little  folks." 

NOT  TO  VENTUKE  BEYOND  ONE'S  LAST. 

It  is  a  sound  maxim  for  every  man  to  measure 
himself  by  his  own  proper  standard. 

Cicero  (Off.  i.  1.  31)  says  to  the  same  effect: — 

"  Let  us  follow  our  natural  bias,  so  that  even,  though  other 


HORACE.  221 

pursuits  may  be  of  greater  importance  and  excellence,  we 
may  yet  regulate  ourselves  by  a  regard  to  our  natural  dispo- 

citirm  nnrl  (»iin  fnntiiv  " 


sition  and  character.' 


WISDOM. 


I  live  and  am  as  happy  as  a  king  as  soon  as  I 
leave  those  joys,  which  you  vaunt  to  the  sky  with 
rapturous  applause. 


NATURE. 

Shouldst  thou  attempt  to  drive  out  nature  by 
force,  yet  it  will  be  ever  returning,  and  in  silent 
triumph  break  through  thy  affected  disdain. 

Aristophanes  (Pax.  637)  says  to  the  same  effect:  — 

l:  They  drove  out  this  goddess  with  two-pronged  clamors." 

And  again  (Vesp.  1457): — 

"  For  it  is  difficult  to  renounce  one's  nature,  which  one  has 
always  had." 

Cicero  (Tusc.  Quasst.  v.  27)  speaks  of  nature  in.  the  same 
way:— 

"  Custom  could  never  get  the  better  of  nature,  for  she  al- 
ways comes  off  victorious." 

Seneca  (Ep.  119)  says:— 

"  Nature  is  obstinate ;  she  cannot  be  overcome,  she  demands 
what  is  her  own." 

And  again  (Ep.  90):— 

"We  have  been  brought  into  the  world  with  everything 
prepared  to  our  hand,  but  we  have  raised  up  difficulties  by 
our  disdainful  rejection  of  what  is  easily  got." 

HIGH  THINGS. 

The  man  who  is  too  much  engrossed  with  fort- 
une's favors  will  tremble  when  she  takes  her  de- 
parture; if  thou  admirest  anything  greatly,  thou 
wilt  be  slow  to  give  it  up.  Fly  this  world's  grand- 
eur; the  poor  man,  who  lives  under  an  humble 
roof,  may  enjoy  greater  happiness  than  kings  and 
their  favorites. 


222  HORACE. 

Atoninus  (vii.  27)  says:— 

"  Beware,  while  thou  art  too  much  engrossed  with  the  fleet- 
ing pleasures  of  life,  lest  thou  shouldst  learn  to  attach  too 
much  value  to  them,  so  that,  if  they  take  wings  and  fly  away 
thou  shouldst  be  thrown  into  a  state  of  misery." 

POVERTY. 

In  the  same  way  as  the  stag  in  the  fable,  the 
man  who  from  fear  of  poverty  loses  his  liberty, 
more  precious  than  all  the  wealth  of  this  world, 
intemperate  in  his  desires-,  carries  on  his  shoulders 
a  master,  and  will  live  in  eternal  bondage  because 
he  could  not  find  enjoyment  in  a  frugal  meal. 

UNSUITABLENESS   OF   FORTUNE. 

The  man  whom  his  fortune  does  not  fit,  is  like 
the  man  in  the  fable  with  a  shoe,  which  if  too 
large,  trips  him  up,  if  too  small,  pinches  him. 

Demophilus  (Orellii  Opusc.  i.  p.  6)  says:— 

"  Both  a  sice  and  a  life  that  fits  gives  no  pain." 

Lucia n  (Pro.  Imagg.  10)  says: — 

"  He  says,  let  not  the  shoe  be  larger  than  your  foot,  lest  it 
throw  you  on  your  face,  as  you  are  walking." 

MONEY   A   SLAVE   OR   TYRANT. 

Money  put  away  in  one's  coffers  is  either  the 
master  or  slave  of  its  possessor,  though  it  ought 
rather  to  be  the  impelled  than  impelling  part  of 
life's  machine. 

Publius  Syrus  (998)  says:— 

"  Money  is  a  handmaiden,  if  thou  knowest  to  use  it:  a  mis- 
tress, if  thou  knowest  not." 

And  Seneca  (De  Beat.  vit.  26^:— 

"  Riches  in  the  hand  of  the  wise  yield  obedience,  in  that  of 
the  fool  command." 

ENJOY  THE   PRESENT. 

Receive  with  gratitude  the  hours  that  fortune 
bestows  upon  thee,  and  put  not  off  the  enjoyment 


HORACE.  223 

of  life  to  some  distant  time,  that  thou  mayest  be 
able  to  say,  in  whatever  region  of  the  world  thou 
art,  that  thou  hast  lived  happily;  for,  if  it  is  a  wise 
understanding  and  prudent  conduct  that  rid  us 
of  the  cares  of  life,  and  not  the  beauty  of  the  land- 
scape that  surrounds  us,  those  who  cross  the  sea 
change  the  climate  but  not  their  passions.  We 
are  occupied  in  busy  idleness,  seeking  happiness 
in  yachts  and  carriages.  Whereas  what  thou  seek- 
est  is  here,  is  even  in  the  midst  of  deserted  Ulu- 
bra3,  if  only  thou  possess  a  well-balanced  mind. 

In  Diogenes  Laertius  (vi.  7,  4,  or  98)  we  find  a  passage  from 
Crates,  the  tragic  writer,  to  this  effect: — 

"  My  dwelling  place  is  not  one  tower  or  house,  but  the  cities 
and  houses  of  the  whole  earth  prepared  for  us  to  dwell  in." 

JEschines  (Adv.  Ctesiph.  78)  says: — 

"  For  he  did  not  change  his  passions,  but  merely  the  place 
of  his  abode." 

Cowper  ("  The  Task,"  towards  end  of  "  Sofa  ")  says: — 

"  Who  borne  about 

In  chariots  and  sedans,  know  no  fatigue 
But  that  of  idleness." 

As  to  happiness,  Pope  ("  Essay  on  Man,"  Ep.  iv.  1. 15)  says: — 

"  Fix'd  to  no  spot  is  happiness  sincere, 
'Tis  nowhere  to  be  found  or  everywhere." 

And  Milton  ("Paradise  Lost,"  i.  233):— 

"  A  mind  is  not  to  be  changed  by  place  or  time, 
The  mind  is  its  own  place,  and  in  itself 
Can  make  a  heaven  of  hell,  a  hell  of  heaven." 

And  of  idleness,  Goldsmith  ("Traveller,"  1.  256)  says: — 
"  Thus  idly  busy  rolls  their  world  away." 

ENOUGH. 

Cease  thy  grumbling;  he  is  not  poor  who  has 
enough  for  the  simple  wants  of  nature.  If  thou 
art  sound  in  stomach,  side,  and  feet,  the  riches  of 
a  king  will  add  nothing  to  thy  happiness. 


224  HORACE. 

Plutarch  (Sol.  2)  quotes  the  following  verses  of  Solon: — 
"  The  man  who  has  stores  of  silver,  gold,  and  wheat-bearing 
fields,  I  call  not  happier  than  the  swain  who  has  enough  for 
his  support,  is  sound  in  body,  and  has  a  youthful  wife  and 
blooming  children." 

DISCORDANT  CONCOBD. 

Discordant  concord. 
Pope  (•'  Essay  on  Man,"  iv.  56)  expresses  the  principle  thus: — 

"  All  Nature's  difference  keeps  all  Nature's  peace." 
And  again,  in  his  "  Windsor  Forest ": — 

"The  world  harmoniously  composed: 
Where  order  in  variety  we  see: 
And  where,  though  all  things  differ,  all  agree." 

Ben  Jonson  ("  Cynthia's  Revels,"  act  v.  sc.  2)  says:— 
"  All  concord's  born  of  contraries." 

Compare  what  Burke  ("  French  Revolution,"  p.  81)  says: — 
"  You  had  that  action  and  counteraction,  which,  in  the 
natural  and  in  the  political  world,  from  the  reciprocal  strug- 
gle of  discordant  parties  draws  out  the  harmony  of  nature." 

THE  GOOD  EASILY  SATISFIED. 

We  can  get  a  crop  of  friends  at  a  cheap  rate, 
when  it  is  the  good  who  are  in  distress. 

This  is  very  much  the  same  idea  in  Xenophon  (Mem.  ii.  40, 
4):- 

"  Now,  on  account  of  the  state  of  public  affairs,  it  is  possi- 
ble to  get  good  men  as  friends  at  a  very  cheap  rate." 

DISCONTENT. 

He  who  envies  another's  lot  is  evidently  dissat- 
isfied with  his  own.  All  are  foolish  who  blame 
the  place  where  they  live  as  the  cause  of  their  dis- 
tress* in  the  mind  alone  the  fault  lies,  the  mind 
that  can  never  fly  from  itself. 

Pope  say?-.— 

"  Men  would  be  angels,  angels  would  be  gods." 


HORACE.  225 


I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  my  follies,  but  I  am 
ashamed  not  to  put  an  end  to  them. 

CONTENTMENT. 

The  lazy  ox  wishes  for  the  horse's  trappings; 
the  horse  wishes  to  plough,  in  my  opinion  each 
.should  follow  with  cheerfulness  the  profession 
which  he  best  understands. 

Aristophanes  (Vesp.  1431)  says:— 

"Let  every  one  practise  the  craft  with  which  he  is  ac- 
quainted." 

BE   WHAT   YOU   SEEM. 

Thou  livest  as  thou  oughtest  if  thou  takest  care 
to  be  what  thou  art  considered  by  the  world.  All 
we  Romans  have  long  declared  thce  happy,  but  I 
am  afraid  lest  thou  shouldest  listen  more  to 
others  regarding  thyself  than  to  the  suggestions 
of  thine  own  conscience,  and  mayest  imagine  that 
one  may  be  happy  who  is  other  than  wise  and 
good. 

^Eschylus  (S.  C.  Th.  588)  says:— 

"  For  he  does  not  wish  to  seem,  hut  to  be  the  noblest." 
Publius  Syrus  says:— 
"  The  question  is  what  you  are,  not  what  you  are  reckoned." 

FALSE   SHAME. 

It  is  the  false  shame  of  fools  alone  that  hides 
ulcered  sores. 

A  GOOD   MAN  ACCORDING   TO  THE  WORLD. 

Whom  does  undeserved  honor  delight  or  lying 

calumny  terrify,  except  the  vicious  and  the   man 

whose  life  requires  to  be  amended.     Who,  then,  is 

the  good    man?      The  world    answers,   He  who 

15 


226  HOB  ACE. 

carefully  observes  the  decrees  of  the  senate,  and 
swerves  not  from  the  known  rules  of  justice  and  the 
laws;  by  whose  judgment  many  and  weighty  causes 
are  decided,  whose  bail  secures,  whose  oath  main- 
tains a  cause,  yet  his  own  household  and  all  his 
neighbors  know  that  he  is  inwardly  base,  though 
imposing  on  the  world  with  a  fair  outside. 

So  Matthew  xix  17:— 

"  There  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is,  God:  but  if  thou  wilt 
enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments." 

THE  GOOD. 

The  good  hate  sin  from  an  innate  love  of  virtue. 

THE   COVETOUS. 

The  covetous  is  the  slave  of  fear;  moreover,  he 
who  lives  in  fear,  will  ever  be  a  bondman. 


Death  is  the  last  limit  of  all  things. 
Demosthenes  (De  Coron.  97)  says:— 

"  Death  is  the  close  of  life  to  all  men." 
Euripides  (Electr.  954)  says:— 

"  Let  not  a  man,  though  he  may  run  the  first  round  well, 
imagine  he  will  win  the  victory,  before  he  comes  nigh  the  line 
and  turns  the  goal  of  life." 
Seneca  (Ad  Marc,  de  Consol.  19)  says:  — 
"  Death  is  both  the  solution  and  close  of  all  pains,  beyond 
which  our  evils  reach  not." 
Shakespeare  ("Othello,"  act  v.  sc.  2)  says:— 

"  Here  is  my  journey's  end:  here  is  my  butt, 
And  very  sea-mark  of  my  utmost  saU." 

THE  OBSCURE. 

He  has  lived  not  ill,  who  has  lived  and  died  un- 
noticed by  the  world. 
It  was  the  maxim  of  Epicurus.  "  Lead  a  life  of  retirement;" 


HORACE.  227 

and  Euripides  (Iphig.  in  Aul.  17) says:—"  I  envy  the  man  who 
has  passed  through  life  without  danger,  unknown,  inglorious." 

EVENNESS   OF  TEMPEK. 

Every  phase,  aspect,  and  circumstance  of  life 
suited  Aristippus,  though  he  aimed  at  higher  ob- 
jects, still  submitting  with  an  unruffled  counte- 
nance to  the  events  of  life. 

THE   ADVANTAGES   OF   AN   ACTIVE   LIFE. 

To  be  successful  in  war  and  lead  in  triumph  the 
captive  enemy,  makes  man  like  a  god,  and  confers 
immortal  honor:  it  is  no  mean  praise,  too,  to  have 
gained  the  friendship  of  the  great. 

EVERY  MAN   CANNOT   SUCCEED. 

It  is  not  every  one  that  succeeds  in  reaching  Cor- 
inth. 

CLAMORS   OF   THE   IMPOKTUNATE. 

But  if  the  crow  could  have  been  satisfied  to  eat 
his  food  in  silence,  he  would  have  had  more  meat 
and  much  less  quarrelling  and  envy. 

VIRTUE. 

Virtue  holds  a  middle  place  between  these  two 
vices,  and  is  equally  removed  from  both. 

This  is  the  well-known  doctrine  of  Aristotle  (Eth.  11,  6):— 

"  Virtue  is  a  delibarats  habit,  being  in  the  middle  ...  It  is 
a  mean  state  between  two  faults,  one  of  excess,  the  other  of 
defect." 

Cicero  (Brut.  40)  says:— 

"  Since  every  virtue,  as  your  old  Academy  said,  is  a  mean: 
both  were  anxious  to  follow  a  certain  mean. 

THE   RUDE   MAN   CONTENDING   FOR  TRIFLES. 

The  other  often  contends  for  things  of  no  conse- 


228  HORACE. 

quence  whatever;  armed  with  futile  arguments  he 
combats  everything  that  is  advanced. 

A  SECRET. 

Strive  not  to  find  out  his  secrets,  and  keep  what 
is  intrusted  to  thee  though  tried  by  wine  and  pas- 
sion ;  praise  not  thy  own  pursuits,  nor  blame  those 
of  thy  friend. 

THE   INQUISITIVE. 

Shun  the  inquisitive,  for  thou  wilt  be  sure  to 
find  him  leaky ;  open  ears  do  not  keep  conscien- 
tiously what  has  been  intrusted  to  them,  and  a 
word  once  spoken  flies  never  to  be  recalled. 

Menander  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  98  M.):— 

"  It  is  no  way  easier  to  cheek  the  course  of  a  heavy  stone 
hurled  from  the  hand  than  a  word  from  the  tongue." 

Shakespeare  ("  Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona,"  act  ii.  sc.  4) 
says:— 

"  A  fine  volley  of  words,  gentlemen,  and  quickly  shot  off." 

So  James  1.  19: — 

"  Let  every  man  be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  slow  to 
anger."  « 

KECOMMENDATIONS. 

Consider  again  and  again  the  character  of  the 
man  whom  thou  reconimendest,  lest  the  faults  of 
another  should,  by  and  by,  bring  a  blush  to  thy 
cheek. 

Theognis  (963)  says:— 

"  Never  recommend  a  man  till  thou  knowest  him  thoroughly, 
what  he  is  in  passion,  temper  and  manners." 


Once  deceived,  do  not  attempt  to  protect  the 
man  who  is  weighed  down  by  his  own  follies. 


HORACE.  229 

THE  HOUSE  OF  A  NEIGHBOR  ON  FIRE. 

For  thy  house  is  in  danger  when  thy  neighbor's 
is  in  flames :  a  fire  neglected  usually  gains  strength. 

THE  COURT. 

A  court  attendance  seems  pleasant  to  those  who 
have  never  tried  it;  a  little  experience  convinces 
us  of  its  irksomeness. 

Pindar  (Fr.  Hyporch.  ii.  1)  says: — 

"  War  is  pleasant  to  those  who  have  no  experience  of  it, 
but  any  one  who  knows  it-  from  the  heart  greatly  dreads 
its  approach." 

UNLIKE   TEMPERS. 

The  morose  dislike  the  gay,  and  the  witty  abom- 
inate the  grave. 

AN   HUMBLE   LIFE. 

A  retired  path,  where  lonely  leads  the  silent 
way. 

Pope  ("  Ode  on  Solitude '')  expresses  the  same  idea: — 
"Thus  let  me  live,  unseen,  unknown, 

Thus  unlamented  let  me  die; 
Steal  from  the  world,  and  not  a  stone 

Tell  where  I  lie." 

And  Gray  ("  Elegy  ina  Country  Churchyard  "): — 
"  Along  the  cool  sequester 'd  vale  of  life, 
They  kept  the  noiseless  tenor  of  their  way." 

LIFE    OF   TRANQUILLITY. 

Let  me  have  what  I  now  have,  or  even  less; 
and  may  I  live  for  myself  the  remainder  of  my 
life,  whatever  time  the  gods  grant  me:  give  me  a 
plenteous  store  of  hooks  and  a  competence :  let  me 
not  oscillate  between  hope  arid  fear,  anxiously 
looking  to  the  future.  It  is  enough  to  pray  to 
Jupiter  for  such  things  as  he  fan  give  and  take 


230  HORACE. 

away;  let  him  give  me  life  and  wealth:  a  well- 
balanced  mind  is  what  I  shall  bestow  on  myself. 
Shakespeare  ("  As  You  Like  It,"  act  ii.  sc.  1)  says:— 
"  And  thus  our  life,  exempt  from  public  haunt, 
Finds  tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the  running  brooks, 
Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  everything." 
And  again  ("  Henry  IV.,"  Parti,  act  v.  sc.  1):— 
"  For  mine  own  part.  I  could  be  well  content 
To  entertain  the  lag- end  of  my  life 
With  quiet  hours." 

HYPOCRISY. 

What!  if  one  were  to  assume  a  grim,  stern  coun- 
tenance, with  naked  feet  and  scanty  robe,  to  ape 
the  appearance  of  Cato,  would  he  thereby  be  rep- 
resenting the  virtues  and  manners  of  that  old 
worthy? 

IMITATOKS. 

0  imitators,  a  servile  race,  how  often  have  your 
attacks  roused  my  bile  and  often  my  laughter! 

ORIGINALITY. 

1  was  the  first  to  step  out  freely  along  a  hitherto 
untravelled  route ;  I  have  not  trod  in  the  footsteps 
of  others :  he  who  relies  on  himself,  is  the  leader  to 
guide  the  swarm. 

APPLAUSE  OF  THE  POPULACE. 

I  court  not  the  favor  of  the  fickle  mob. 

Shakespeare  ("Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  act  v.  sc.  2)  calls 
the  mob 

"  The  shouting  varletry." 

TEARS. 

And  hence  these  tears  of  spleen  and  anger  rise. 


HORACE.  231 

INGRATITUDE  OF  MANKIND. 

They  complained  that  the  honor  they  received 
did  not  come  up  to  their  high  deserts. 
Shakespeare  ("  As  You  Like  It,"  actii.  sc.  7)  says:-1 
"  Blow,  blow,  thou  winter  wind, 
Thou  art  not  so  unkind 

As  man's  ingratitude." 

ENVY. 

He  found  that  envy  is  only  to  be  overcome  by 
death. 

Thucydides  (ii.  45)  says:— 

"Envy  is  felt  towards  living  rivals;  that,  which  does  not 
stand  in  our  way,  is  honored  with  a  feeling  of  love  without 
the  slightest  repugnance." 

And  Aristotle (Rhet.  ii.  10)  says: — 

"  No  one  feels  jealous  of  those  who  have  existed  ten  thou- 
sand years  ago,  or  of  those  who  are  about  to  come  into  being, 
or  of  the  dead." 

In  the  Shakespeare  Society's  reprint  of  Forde's  "  Line  of 
Life,"  1C20,  the  following  passage  occurs:— 

"  Great  men  are  by  great  men  [not  good  men  by  good  men] 
narrowly  sifted ;  their  lives,  their  actions,  their  demeanors 
examined,  for  that  their  places  and  honors  are  hunted  after, 
as  the  beazar  (beaver?)  for  his  preservations." 

SUPERIOR  MERIT. 

For  the  man  who  raises  himself  above  his  neigh- 
bors irritates  by  his  excessive  splendor,  and  is  only 
loved  after  death. 

THE   VULGAR. 

Sometimes  the  vulgar  throng  form  a  just  judg- 
ment, but  oft  they  labor  under  gross  mistakes. 

POETASTERS. 

Physicians  practise  what  belongs  to  their  art; 
mechanics  work  only  at  their  trade;  but  learned 
and  unlearned,  we  all  equally  are  scribbling  verses. 


232  HOE  ACE. 

GREECE. 

Greece  led  captive  her  savage  conquerors,  and 
introduced  civilization  to  barbarous  Latium. 

CORRUPTION   OF   TASTE. 

But  our  knights  now  take  pleasure,  not  in  what 
delights  the  ear,  but  in  pageant  shows  that  charm 
the  wandei-ing  eye. 

DULXESS. 

Thou  wouldst  swear  that  he  had  been  bom  in 
thick  Bo3otian  air. 

THE  POET. 

The  expression  of  the  face  is  not  better  expressed 
by  the  sculptor's  art,  than  are  the  life  and  man- 
ners of  heroes  in  the  poet's  works.  As  for  mo,  to 
celebi'ate  thy  exploits,  to  describe  the  lands  and 
rivers  that  have  witnessed  thy  victories,  the  for- 
tresses thou  hast  stormed  on  the  peaks  of  moun- 
tains, the  barbarian  realms  thou  hast  overrun,  the 
wars  that  have  been  gloriously  terminated  under 
thy  auspices  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  the  gates  of 
Janus  thou  hast  closed  as  the  signal  of  universal 
peace,  I  would  renounce  forever  my  satires  and 
prosaic  measure  if  my  strength  were  only  equal  to 
my  desires. 

THE   RIDICULOUS. 

For  man  learns  more  readily  and  remembers 
more  willingly  what  excites  his  ridicule  than  what 
deserves  esteem  and  respect. 

SOFT  CLAY. 

Thou  mayest  mould  him  into  any  shape  like 
soft  clay. 


HOE  ACE.  233 

• 

THE   POOE. 

The  man,  who  hast  lost  his  all,  will  go  wherever 
thou  wishest. 


Indulgent  Athens  taught  me  some  of  the  higher 
arts,  putting  me  in  the  way  to  distinguish  a  straight 
line  from  a  curve,  and  to  search  after  wisdom 
amidst  the  groves  of  Academe,  but  the  hard  exigen- 
cies of  the  times  forced  me  from  this  charming  re- 
treat. 

Milton  ("  Paradise  Regained,"  iv.  1.  227)  says:— 
"  Where  on  the  ^Egean  shore  a  city  stands, 

Built  nobly,  pure  the  air,  and  light  the  soil; 

Athens,  the  eye  of  Greece,  mother  of  arts 

And  eloquence,  native  to  famous  wits 

Or  hospitable,  in  her  sweet  recess, 

City  or  suburban,  studious  walks  and  shades. 

See  there  the  olive  grove  of  Academe, 

Plato's  retirement,  where  the  Attic  bird 

Trills  her  thick- war  bled  notes  the  summer  long." 

ADVANCING  YEARS. 

Waning  years  steal  from  us  our  pleasures  one 
by  one ;  they  have  already  snatched  away  my  jokes, 
my  loves,  my  revellings,  and  play. 
Wordsworth  (in  "  The  Fountain  '')  says: — 
"  Thus  fares  it  still  in  our  decay, 

And  yet  the  wiser  mind 
Mourns  less  for  what  age  takes  away 

Thau  what  it  leaves  behind." 
And  Byron  ("  Childe  Harold,"  canto  iii.  st.  2):— 

"Years  steal 

Fire  from  the  mind  as  vigor  from  the  limb; 
And  life's  enchanted  cup  but  sparkles  near  the  brim." 
Shakespeare  ("  Comedy  of  Errors,"  act  v.  sc.  1)  says:— 
"  Oh,  grief  hath  chang'd  me  since  you  saw  me  la 't, 
And  careful  hours,  with  Time's  deformed  hand, 
Have  written  stranf.e  defeature  ;  in  my  face." 


234       ,  HORACE. 

DIFFERENCES  OF  OPINION. 

In  short,  we  do  not  all  admire  and  love  the 
same  thing. 

DIFFERENCES   OF  TASTE. 

Demanding  things  quite  different  with  differing 
taste.  What  shall  I  give  them  ?  What  shall  I  re- 
fuse ?  Thou  refusest  what  the  other  demands; 
what  thou  askest  is  hateful  and  annoying  to  the 
other  two. 

IRRITABILITY   OF   THE   POET. 

I  submit  to  much,  that  I  may  keep  in  good  hu- 
mor the  fretful  tribe  of  poets,  while  I  write  and 
try  by  humble  submissions  to  catch  public  ap- 
plause. 

SELF-CONCEIT   OF   A   POET. 
> 

For  my  own  part,  I  had  rather  be  esteemed  a 
foolish  and  dull  writer,  provided  my  own  faults 
please  me,  or  at  least  escape  my  notice,  than  be 
wise  and  a  prey  to  continual  vexation. 

Pope  ("  Essay  on  Man,"  iv.  260)  says: 

"  What  is  it  to  be  wise  ? 
'Tis  but  to  know  how  little  can  be  known; 
To  see  all  others'  faults  and  feel  our  own." 

It  is  a  favorite  idea  of  Goethe,  found  in  his  "  Torquato  Tasso" 
(i.  2,  85):- 

"  Beloved  brother,  let  us  not  forget  that  man  can  never  lay 
aside  his  own  nature." 

And  in  his  "  Truth  and  Poetry  "  (xvi.  4): — 

"A  man  may  turn  whither  he  chooses;  he  may  undertake 
whatever  he  may ;  but  he  always  will  come  back  to  the  path 
which  Nature  has  once  prescribed  to  him.'' 

Destouches  ("  Glorieux."  v.  3)  has  the  same  idea: — 

"I  know  it  only  too  well:  drive  out  what  springs  from  na- 
ture, it  returns  at  a  gallop." 


HORACE.  235 

And  La  Fontaine  ("  Fables,"  ii.  187):— 

"  Let  them  shut  the  door  in  his  face,  he  will  get  back  through 
the  windows." 

But  perhaps  Frederick  the  Great  expresses  the  idea  as  for. 
cibly  as  any  of  these  when  he  says,  in  his  letter  to  Voltaire, 
March  19,  1771  :— 

"  Drive  prejudices  out  by  the  door,  they  will  re-enter  by 
the  window." 

PLEASING  DELUSIONS. 

By  Pollux,  cruel  friends,  you  have  destroyed, 
not  saved  me,  in  taking  away  this  pleasure  and 
robbing  me  by  force  of  such  an  agreeable  delu- 
sion. 

RICHES. 

But  if  riches  had  power  to  bestow  wisdom  and 
render  thee  less  a  slave  to  passions  and  fears,  then 
indeed  thou  mightest  blush  with  reason  if  there 
were  one  on  earth  more  covetous  than  thou. 

CIIANGEABLENESS  OP  PROPERTY. 

What  boots  it  whether  the  food  thou  eatest  was 
bought  just  now  from  the  lands  of  another,  or 
whether  it  is  the  produce  of  an  estate  thou  bough  t- 
est  many  years  ago  ?  He  who  bought  some  time 
ago  lands  close  to  Aricia  or  Veii  pays  as  well  as 
thou  for  the  plate  of  herbs  he  sups  on,  though  he 
i  may  think  otherwise ;  he  boils  his  pot  at  night  with 
'wood  that  he  has  bought  even  as  thou  dost;  and 
yet  lie  calls  the  land  his  own  as  far  as  where  a  cer- 
tain poplar  fixes  the  boundary  and  prevents  quar- 
rels with  his  neighbor;  as  if  anything  can  Le 
called  a  lasting  possession  which  in  the  short 
space  of  a  single  hour  may  change  its  lord  and 
fall  to  other  hands  by  coaxing,  sale,  violence,  or 
certainly  at  last  by  death.  Since  thus  no  property 
has  a  lasting  tenure,  and  heir  comes  upon  heir,  as 


236  HORACE. 

wave  on  wave,  what  real  benefit  is  there  in  landed 
property  and  ever-increasing  hoards  ? 

Antiphanes  (in  Grotii  Exc.  p.  637)  says:— 

"Whoever  thou  art,  who  thinkest  that  any  possession  is 
lasting,  thou  art  much  mistaken." 

So  Luke  xii.  19,  20:— 

"  And  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods 
laid  up  for  many  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  ba 
merry.  But  God  said  unto  him,  Thou  fool,  this  night  thy 
soul  shall  be  required  of  thee:  then  whose  shall  those  things 
be  which  thou  hast  provided  ? " 

GENIUS  OF  EACH  INDIVIDUAL. 

The  cause  of  the  differences  in  men  is  only 
known  to  that  mystic  genius  who  presides  at  our 
birth,  who  directs  our  horoscope,  the  god  of  na- 
ture, living  and  dying  with  each,  changeable  like 
each,  propitious  or  malign  according  as  we  obey 
his  '  ehests. 

Menander  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.,  p.  974)  says:— 
"  A  good  genius  is  present  to  every  man  at  his  birth  as  the 
director  of  his  life:  for  we  must  not  imagine  that  it  can  be  a 
bad  genius  that  injures  a  good  life." 
Spenser,  in  his  "Faerie  Queen"  (ii.  12,  47),  says:— 

"  Genius 

That  celestiall  powre  to  whom  the  care 

Of  life,  and  generation  of  all 

That  lives,  perteines  in  charge  particulare, 

Who  wondrous  things  concerning  our  welfare, 

And  strange  phantomes  doth  lett  us  ofte  foresee, 

And  ofte  of  secret  ills  bids  us  beware; 

Thai  is  ourselfe,  whom  though  we  do  not  see, 

Yet  each  doth  in  himself e  it  well  perceive  to  bee: 

Therefore  a  god  him  sage  Antiquity 

Did  wisely  make,  and  good  Agdistes  call. 

EITHER    IMPROVE     YOUR    LIFE,     OB     LEAVE     THE 
STAGE    OF    LIFE. 

What  boots  it  to  pluck  one  thorn  out  of  so 
many  ?  If  thou  knowest  not  how  to  live  sensibly, 


HORACE.  237 

give  way  to  those  who  do.  Thou  hast  had 
enough  of  the  pleasures  of  life,  enough  of  feasting 
and  revellings;  it  is  time  for  thee  to  depart,  lest 
the  age,  on  whom  mirth  and  jollity  sit  well,  should 
laugh  at  thee  as  thou  reelest,  and  hoot  thee  off 
the  stage  of  life. 
Pope  ("  Essay  on  Man,"  iii.  70)  says: — 

"  Thou  too  must  perish  when  thy  feast  is  o'er." 

UNIFORMITY   RECOMMENDED. 

So  that  a  beauteous  maid  above  should  end  in  a 
hideous  fish. 

RIDICULE. 

My  f  liends,  were  you  admitted  to  such  a  sight, 
could  you  refrain  from  laughter  ? 

DREAMS   OF   THE   SICK    MAN. 

The  delusive  dreams  of  the  sick  man. 

PAINTERS  AND  POETS. 

Painters  and  poets  are  granted  the  same  licence. 
We  are  aware  of  this;  such  indulgence  we  give 
and  take. 

Diphilus  (Athen.  vi.  1)  says:— 

"  As  tragic  writers  say,  who  alone  have  the  >~"~'<»r  to  say 
and  do  all  things." 

Aristotle  (Metaph.  i.  2, 10)  says: — 

' '  According  to  the  proverb, '  Poets  produce  many  fictions. ' ' ' 

Lucian  (Pro.  Imagg.  18)  says: — 

"  This  is  an  old  saying,  that  both  poets  and  painters  are  ir- 
responsible." 

PURPLE   PATCHES. 

Of ttimes  to  lofty  beginnings  that  promise  much 
are  sewed  one  or  two  purple  patches,  which  may 
shine  from  far. 


238  HORACE. 

CAUSE  OF  ERRORS. 

We  are  led  astray  by  the  semblance  of  what  is 
right. 
Hood  says: — 

"  For  man  may  pious  texts  repeat, 
And  yet  religion  have  no  inward  seat." 

EXTREMES. 

When  we  try  to  avoid  one  fault  we  are  led  to  the 
opposite,  unless  we  be  very  careful. 

UNIFORMITY   DESIRABLE. 

I  would  no  more  imitate  such  an  one  than  wish 
to  appear  in  public  distinguished  for  black  eyes 
and  hair,  but  disfigured  by  a  hideous  nose. 

SUBJECT   SUITABLE    TO   ABILITIES. 

Ye  writers  choose  a  subject  fitted  to  your 
strength,  and  ponder  long  what  your  shoulders 
refuse  to  bear  and  what  they  are  able  to  support. 
He  who  has  hit  upon  a  subject  suited  to  his 
powers,  will  never  fail  to  find  eloquent  words  and 
lucid  arrangement. 

Seneca  (De  Tranq.  An.  5)  says:— 

"  In  the  next  place,  we  must  take  a  proper  gauge  of  thu 
things  which  we  attempt,  and  compare  our  strength  with  the 
enterprise  in  which  we  are  about  to  engage.  For  the  individ- 
ual ought  always  to  be  superior  to  that  on  which  he  is  em- 
ployed." 

WORDS   ARE   LIKE   LEAVES. 

As  the  leaves  of  the  woods  change  at  the  fall  of 
the  year,  the  earliest  disappearing  first,  so  the  old 
crop  of  words  die  out,  and  those  lately  produced 
flourish  and  are  vigorous  like  the  youthful. 

In  Ecclesiasticus  (xiv.  18)  we  have: — 

"  As  of  the  green  leaves  on  a  thick  tree,  some  fall  and  some 


HORACE.  239 

grow;  so  is  the  generation  of  flesh  and  blood,  one  cometh  to 
an  end  and  another  is  born. 

WORDS. 

All  the  works  of  man  will  perish,  still  less  can 
we  expect  that  the  bloom  and  grace  of  language 
will  continue  to  flourish  and  endure.  Many  words 
will  revive  which  have  been  long  in  oblivion,  and 
others  will  disappear  which  are  in  present  repute, 
if  usage  shall  so  will  it,  in  whose  power  is  the  de- 
cision, the  law,  and  the  rule  of  speech. 

Roscommon  thus  translates  this  passage  ("  Art  of  Poe- 
try "):- 

"  Men  ever  had,  and  ever  will  have,  leave 
To  coin  new  words  well  suited  to  the  age. 
Words  are  like  leaves,  some  wither  every  year, 
And  every  year  a  younger  race  succeeds. 
Use  may  revive  the  obsoletest  words, 
And  banish  those  that  now  are  most  in  vogue; 
Use  is  the  judge,  the  law  and  rule  of  speech." 

CRITICS. 

Critics  dispute,  and  the  question  is  still  unde- 
cided. 

STYLE. 

Let  each  subject  have  its  own  peculiar  style,  and 
keep  it,  if  what  is  becoming  be  our  object. 

BOMBAST. 

Each  throws  aside  high-sounding  expressions 
and  words  a  foot  and  half  long. 

MAN    EASILY   AFFECTED   TO   GRIEF  OR  JOY. 

As  man  laughs  with  those  that  laugh,  so  he 
weeps  with  those  that  weep;  if  thou  wisli  me  to 
weep,  thou  must  first  shed  tears  thyself;  then  thy 
sorrows  will  touch  me. 


240  HORACE. 

Aristotle  (Rhet.  iii.  7,  5)  says:— 

"  The  audience  always  sympathizes  with  him  who  speaks 
pathetically." 

Plato  (Ion.  c.  6,  or  535  E.)  says:— 

"  I  am  constantly  looking  down  from  my  seat  above  upon 
those  who  are  weeping,  or  looking  fiercely,  or  astonished,  in 
unison  with  what  is  related." 

Roscommon  thus  translates  the  passage:— 

"  We  weep  and  laugh,  as  we  see  others  do; 
H«  only  makes  me  sad  who  shows  the  way, 
And  first  is  sad  himself." 

Churchill  ("  The  Rosciad,"  1.  801)  says:— 

"  But  spite  of  all  the  criticising  elves, 
Those  who  would  make  us  feel— must  feel  themselves." 


AN  ACTOB. 

Words  of  sorrow  become  the  sorrowful;  menac- 
ing words  suit  the  passionate;  sportive  expres- 
sions a  playful  look;  serious  words  become  tho 
grave;  for  nature  forms  us  from  our  very  birth 
capable  of  feeling  every  change  of  fortune;  she 
delights  the  heart  with  mirth,  transports  to  rage, 
or  wrings  the  sad  soul  and  lends  it  down  to  earth. 
In  course  of  time  she  teaches  the  tongue  to  be  the 
interpreter  of  the  feelings  of  the  heart. 

Roscommon  translates  the  passage  thus: — 

"  Your  looks  must  alter  as  your  subject  does, 
From  kind  to  fierce,  from  wanton  to  severe 

(Or,  as  Pope  has  it,  'From  grave  to  gay;  from  lively  to 
severe ') ; 

For  nature  forms  and  softens  us  within, 
And  writes  our  fortune's  changes  in  our  face." 

ACHILLE& 

Let  him  be  intrepid,  fierce,  unforgiving,  impetu- 
ous, and  declare  that  laws  were  not  made  for  him, 
claiming  everything  by  his  sword. 


HORACE.  241 

UNIFORMITY. 

Let  him  from  the  beginning  to  the  closing  scene 
maintain  the  character  lie  has  assumed,  and  be  in 
every  way  consistent. 

TRANSLATION. 

Nor  shouldst  thou  translate  word  for  word  like 
a  faithful  interpreter. 
Roscommon,  on  "  Translated  Verse,"  says: — 
"  Tis  true,  composing  is  the  nobler  part, 
But  good  translation  is  no  easy  art." 

THE  MOUNTAIN  IN  LABOR. 

What  will  this  boaster  produce  worthy  of  such 
mouthing  ?  The  mountain  is  in  labor;  lo,  a  ridic- 
ulous mouse  will  spring  forth. 

This  is  a  Greek  proverb  preserved  by  Athenaeus  (xiv.  6):— 
"  The  mountain  was  in  labor,  and  Jupiter  was  frightened, 

but  it  brought  forth  a  mouse." 
"  Great  cry  and  little  wool,  as  the  fellow  said  when  he 

sheared  his  hogs." 

A  FLASH  ENDING  IN  SMOKE. 

He  does  not  begin  with  a  flash  and  end  in  smoke, 
but  tries  to  rise  from  a  cloud  of  smoke  to  light. 

DIFFERENCES   OF  AGE. 

You  must  strictly  attend  to  the  manners  suited 
to  every  age,  and  give  to  each  season  and  the 
varying  years  of  life  the  peculiar  graces  that  be- 
to  them.  The  child,  who  has  learned  to 
and  walks  with  firmer  step,  loves  to  play 
with  I4§  equals,  is  quick  to  feel  and  equally  so  to 
Jay  aside  ix^ntment,  changing  hie  feelings  from 
moment  to  mow^nt.  The  beardless  youth,  having 
got  rid  of  his  tuto*,  joys  in  his  horses,  dogs,  and 
the  games  of  the  soin^y  "Campus,  yielding  like  wax 
I  16 


242  HORACE. 

to  every  evil  impression,  rough  to  reproof,  slow  in 
attending  to  his  true  interests,  lavish  of  his  money, 
presumptuous,  amorous,  and  swift  to  leave  what 
had  before  pleased  his  fancy.  Our  inclinations 
having  undergone  a  change,  the  age  and  spirit  of 
manhood  seeks  for  wealth  and  friendships,  is  a 
slave  to  ambition,  is  cautious  of  doing  what  he 
may  afterwards  repent;  a  thousand  ills  encompass 
the  aged;  either  he  lives  to  amass  wealth,  which 
he  fears  to  make  use  of,  or  else  he  manages  every- 
thing with  a  cold  and  timid  touch,  procrastinat- 
ing, slow  to  entertain  hopes,  attached  to  life, 
morose,  complaining,  a  praiser  of  the  times  when 
he  was  a  boy,  the  scourge  and  chastiser  of  the 
young.  Years  in  life's  full  tide  bring  many  bless- 
ings; the  ebb  carries  many  away. 

Sophocles  (Ajax,  551)  speaks  thus  of  youth: — 
"  Yet  even  now  I  have  thus  much  to  be  envious  of  thee, 
that  thou  art  sensible  of  none  of  these  present  evils.    For  in 
feeling  nothing  is  centred  the  sweetest  life,  until  thou  learn 
to  know  what  it  is  to  be  happy,  what  it  is  to  feel  pain." 
Gray  says:— 

"  Ah  !  how  regardless  of  their  doom 

The  little  victims  play  ; 
No  sense  have  they  of  ills  to  come, 
No  care  beyond  to-day." 

Shakespeare  thus  describes  the  ages  of  man  ("  As  You  Like 
It,"  act  ii.  so.  7): — 

"  All  the  world 's  a  stage, 
And  all  the  men  and  women  merely  players.: 
They  have  their  exits  and  their  entrances; 
And  one  man  in  hla  time  plays  many  parts, 
His  acts  being  seven  ages.    At  first  the  infant, 
Mewling  and  puking  in  the  nurse's  arms; 
And  then  the  whining  school-boy,  with  his  satchel, 
And  shining  morning  face,  creeping,  like  snail, 
Unwillingly  to  school.    And  then,  the  lover, 
Sighing  like  furnace,  with  a  woef ul  ballad 
Made  to  his  mistress'  eyebrows.    Then,  a  soldier, 
Full  of  strange  oaths,  and  bearded  like  the  pard, 


HOE  ACE.  243 

Jealous  in  honor,  sudden  and  quick  in  quarrel, 

Seeking  the  bubble  reputation 

Even  in  the  cannon's  mouth.    And  then,  the  justice, 

In  fair  round  belly,  with  good  capon  lined, 

With  eyes  severe,  and  beard  of  formal  cut, 

Full  of  wise  saws  and  modern  instances; 

And  so  he  plays  his  part.    The  sixth  age  shifts 

Into  the  lean  and  slipper'd  pantaloon, 

With  spectacles  on  nose,  and  pouch  on  side, 

His  youthful  hose,  well-saved,  a  world  too  wide 

For  his  shrunk  shanks ;  and  his  big  manly  voice, 

Turning  again  towards  childish  treble,  pipes 

And  whistles  in  the  sound.    Last  scene  of  all, 

That  ends  this  strange  eventful  history, 

Is  second  childishness,  and  mere  oblivion : 

Sans  teeth,  sans  eyes,  sans  taste,  sans  everything." 

THE    EYE. 

That  which  is  conveyed  through  the  ear,  affects 
us  less  than  what  the  eye  receives,  and  what  the 
spectator  sees  himself. 

Herodotus  (i.  8)  says: — 

"  For  the  ear  of  man  is  less  to  be  trusted  than  the  eyes." 
Herrick  ("  The  Hesperides,"  Aphorism  No.  158)  says:— 
'•  We  credit  most  our  sight;  one  eye  doth  please 
Our  trust  far  more  than  ten  ear  witnesses." 

A  GOD. 

Let  no  deity  intervene,  unless  some  difficulty 
arise  which  is  worthy  of  a  god's  unravelling. 

Plato  (Cratyl.  c.  30, 425,  D.)  says:— 

"  As  the  writers  of  tragedies,  when  they  are  in  difficulty, 
fly  to  their  machinery,  and  introduce  the  gods." 

Cicero  also  (Nat.  Deor.  1,  20)  says:— 

"  As  tragic  poets,  when  you  are  unable  to  wind  up  your 
argument  in  any  other  way,  you  have  recourse  to  a  god." 

GREEK  AUTHORS. 

Make  the  Grecian  models  your  supreme  delight; 
read  them  by  day  and  study  them  by  night. 


244  HORACE. 

CORRECTION   OF    STYLE. 

Latium  would  not  have  been  more  famed  for 
the  bravery  of  her  citizens  and  her  deeds  of  arms 
than  for  her  literary  works,  if  our  poets  had  not 
refused  to  submit  to  the  labor  and  delay  of  cor- 
rection. Ye  descendants  of  Pompilius,  condemn 
the  poem,  which  the  toil  of  many  a  day  and  many 
an  erasure  has  not  brought  into  perfect  shape,  and 
which  has  not  been  polished  to  a  nicety  like  the 
sculptor's  statue. 

A  POET. 

For  doubtless  he  will  obtain  the  reward  and 
fame  of  a  poet,  if  he  shall  never  submit  to  the  bar- 
ber Licinus  a  head  not  to  be  cured  by  the  crop  of 
three  Auticyras. 

Plato  (Ion.  c.  5,  531,  B.)  says  of  a  poet:— 

"  For  a  poet  is  a  light  thing,  with  wings,  sacred,  unable  to 
compose  poetry  till  he  is  inspired,  and  out  of  his  sober  senses, 
his  imagination  being  no  longer  under  his  control.  For  while 
a  person  is  in  complete  possession  of  his  wits,  he  cannot  com- 
pose verses  or  speak  oracularly." 

CRITIC. 

Therefore  I  shall  act  as  whetstone,  which, 
though  unable  to  cut  of  itself,  can  give  an  edge : 
though  I  write  nothing  myself,  I  shall  point  out 
the  way  to  others,  and  teach  them  the  rule  which 
ought  to  be  their  guide. 

Isocrates  being  asked  why  he  did  not  himself  speak,  when 
he  taught  others  to  be  orators,  answered  (Plut.  Vit.  x.,  Or.  p. 
833,  E.):— 

"  Whetstones  are  not  themselves  able  to  cut,  but  make  iron 
sharp  and  capable  of  cutting." 

GOOD    SENSE. 

The  knowledge  of  men  and  manners  is  the  first 
principle  and  fountainhead  of  good  writing. 


HOE  ACE.  245 

Longinus  (De  Subl.  c.  8)  says:— 

"  For  as  there  are  five  sources  most  productive  of  sublim- 
ity, .  .  .  the  first  and  most  powerful  is  a  strong  spring  of 
common  sense." 

DRAMATIC   POET. 

He  who  knows  the  duties  that  he  owes  to  his 
fatherland  and  friends,  the  affection  due  to  a  par- 
ent and  brother,  how  a  guest  ought  to  be  treated, 
the  obligations  imposed  on  a  senator,  judge,  and 
generals  in  active  campaign,  such  a  man  cannot 
but  know  what  is  the  proper  character  to  be  as- 
signed to  each. 


I  shall  then  recommend  the  poet  who  aims  at  be- 
ing a  skilful  imitator  to  have  nature  before  his 
eyes  as  the  great  pattern  of  life  and  manners,  and 
to  draw  from  this  source  the  lineaments  of  truth. 
For  it  often  happens  that  a  comedy,  full  of  beau- 
tiful sentiments  and  where  the  characters  are 
strongly  marked,  though  it  be  in  other  respects 
void  of  grace,  good  versification  or  art,  succeeds 
better  and  charms  the  people  more  than  pieces 
full  of  sound  signifying  nothing.  The  muse  has 
bestowed  genius,  a  full  and  rich  diction  on  the 
Greeks,  who  court  nothing  but  praise. 

POETS. 

It  is  the  object  of  poets  to  instruct  or  to  please, 
or  to  mingle  the  two  together,  instructing  while 
they  amuse.  Do  you  wish  to  instruct  ?  Be  brief, 
that  the  mind  may  catch  thy  precepts  and  the 
more  easily  retain  them. 

SUPERFLUITY. 

Everything  that  is  superfluous  flows  out  of  the 
mind,  like  a  liquid  out  of  a  full  vessel. 


246  HORACE. 

PROFIT  AND   PLEASURE. 

To  gain  the  applause  of  all,  what  is  useful  must 
be  mixed  with  the  agreeable,  and  they  must  never 
be  separated. 

BEAUTIES     MOKE   NUMEROUS. 

But  where  beauties  in  a  poem  are  more  numer- 
ous, I  shall  not  be  offended  by  a  few  faults,  which 
arise  from  pardonable  negligence  and  frailty,  so 
natural  to  man. 

HOMEK. 

I  too  am  indignant  when  honest  Homer  nods, 
though  in  a  long  work  it  is  allowable  for  sleep  to 
creep  over  the  writer. 

POEMS  AND  PICTURES. 

Poems  are  like  pictures;  some  charm  the  nearer 
thou  standest,  others  the  farther  thou  art  distant; 
this  loves  the  shade,  that  likes  a  stronger  light 
which  dreads  not  the  critic's  piercing  eye;  this 
gives  us  pleasure  for  a  single  view,  and  that  ten 
times  repeated  still  is  new. 

POETASTERS. 

Poets  are  not  allowed  to  be  in  the  second  rank; 
neither  gods  nor  men  nor  booksellers'  shops  per- 
mit it:  all  revolt  against  it. 

MINERVA   UNWILLING. 

As  for  thee,  I  know  that  thou  wilt  neither  do 
nor  say  anything  against  thy  natural  bent;  thou 
hast  too  much  good  sense  and  too  good  an  under- 
standing. Yet  if  thou  art  tempted  hereafter  to 
write  some  work,  let  it  be  submitted  to  tl  c  judg- 
ment of  the  critic  Mascius,  to  that  of  tliy  father 
and  mine,  and  keep  it  in  thy  portfolio  for  nine 


HORACE.  247 

years.     While  thy  manuscript  is  unpublished,  thou\ 
canst  erase  whatever  thou  choosest;  but  a  work, 
like  a  word  once  uttered,  cannot  be  recalled. 

IS   A     GOOD    POEM    THE    PRODUCTION    OF    ART    OK 
NATURE? 

It  has  long  been  a  question  whether  a  high-class 
poem  be  the  result  of  nature  or  art.  For  my  own 
part,  I  do  not  see  what  art  could  do  without  the 
aid  of  nature,  nor  nature  without  art;  they  require 
the  assistance  of  each  other,  and  ought  always  to 
be  closely  united.  Observe  the  wrestlers;  if  they 
be  anxious  to  carry  oft'  the  prize,  they  are  not  sat- 
isfied with  having  their  body  supple  and  slim; 
they  exercise  themselves,  endure  heat  and  cold. 

A  FLATTERER. 

As  those  who  are  hired  to  mourn  at  funerals  are 
more  vociferous  in  their  grief  than  those  who  are 
sincerely  afflicted,  in  like  manner  the  flatterer  is- 
much  louder  in  his  praise  than  the  real  friend. 
We  are  told  that  when  men  of  high  rank  are  pre- 
pared to  honor  any  one  with  their  friendship,  they 
try  them  with  wine,  to  see  if  they  are  worthy  of 
this  distinction. 

La  Rochefoucauld  says  of  flattery: — 

'•  Flattery  is  false  money,  which  would  not  pass  current  if 
it  were  not  for  our  vanity." 

Ami  again:— 

"  We  sometimes  think  that  we  hate  flattery,  but  we  only 
hate  the  way  ha  which  we  are  flattered." 

TRIFLES. 

Trifles,  such  as  these,  lead  to  serious  mischief. 

LEECII. 

Like  a  leech  that  will  not  quit  the  skin  till 
gorged  with  blood. 


248  JUVENAL. 

JUVENAL. 

FLOURISHED   ABOUT  A.D.  90. 

DECTMUS  JUNIUS  JUVENALIS  was  born  at  Aqui- 
num,  or  at  least  resided  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  in  that  town.  Of  his  -history  no  facts  kave 
come  down  to  us  on  which  much  dependence  can 
be  placed.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  son  of  a 
freedman,  and  was  much  occupied  for  many  years 
in  declamation  more  for  pleasure  than  profit,  de- 
voting the  latter  part  of  his  life  to  the  composition 
of  satirical  poetry.  Some  of  his  satires  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  court,  and  Domitian  appointed 
him,  though  he  was  nearly  eighty  years  of  age, 
under  the  semblance  of  honorable  distinction,  to 
the  command  of  a  body  of  troops  that  were  quar- 
tered in  the  most  remote  district  of  Egypt,  where 
he  is  said  to  have  died  from  vexation  and  disgust. 
The  extant  works  of  Juvenal  consist  of  sixteen 
satires. 

A  LISTENER. 

Am  I  always  to  be  a  listener  only?  Shall  I 
never  repay  in  kind,  though  plagued  so  often  with 
the  Theseid  of  Codrus,  hoarse  with  reciting  it? 

PAPER. 
To  spare  paper  that  is  sure  to  be  wasted. 

•SATIRE. 

In  the  present  state  of  the  world  it  is  difficult 
not  to  write  lampoons. 

SPLEEN   FROM   SEEING   THE   UNWORTHY. 

i     For  who  can  brook  the  wickedness  of  this  city 


JUVENAL.  i'49 

and  be  so  steeled  as  to  restrain  his  pen,  when  he 
sees  pass  the  spick-span  new  litter  of  the  lawyer 
Matho,  filled  with  his  fat  corporation. 


HONOR  STARVES   ON  UNIVERSAL  PRAISE. 

Dare  some  deed  to  merit  the  prison  of  the  tiny 
Gyaros  if  thou  wishest  to  be  a  man  of  note. 
Honesty,  nowadays,  is  commended,  and  starves 
on  universal  praise. 

SATIRE. 

If  nature  denies  the  ability,  my  indignant  feel- 
ings would  of  themselves  give  birth  to  verses, 
whatever  be  their  powers,  such  as  mine  and  Clu- 
vienus. 

SUBJECTS  OF    SATIRE. 

Whatever  men  engage  in,  their  wild  desires. 
fears,  rage,  pleasures,  joys,  and  varied  pursuits 
form  the  motley  subject  of  my  page. 

DEATH. 
Hence  sudden  death  and  age  without  a  will. 

"  Sudden  destruction  was  imaged  by  the  Greeks,  as  <t>6vov 
'destruction's  wing.'" 


VICE. 

There  will  be  nothing  more  that  posterity  can 
add  to  our  immoral  habits;  our  descendants  must 
have  the  same  desires  and  act  the  same  follies  as 
their  sires.  Every  vice  has  reached  its  zenith. 

HENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  ANGER. 

Hence  the  cause  of  rage  and  tears. 


250  JUVENAL. 

HYPOCRISY. 

Who  pretend  to  be  Curii  and  live  the  life  of 
Bacchanals. 

HYPOCRISY. 
Trust  not  to  outward  show. 

THE  GRACCHI. 

Who  could  endure  the  Gracchi  if  they  were  to 
rail  at  the  seditious  mob  ?  Who  would  not  con- 
found heaven  with  earth  and  sea  with  heaven,  if 
Verres  were  to  pretend  to  hate  a  thief.  Milo  a 
murderer  ?  If  Clodius  were  to  decry  adultery, 
Catiline  accuse  Cethegus  of  factious  views  ?  If 
Sylla's  three  pupils  were  to  declaim  against  Sylla's 
proscriptions  ? 

THE  BAD. 

There  is  wonderful  unanimity  among  the  disso- 
lute. 

THE   POWERFUL   ARE   ACQUITTED. 

The  verdict  acquits  the  raven,  but  condemns  the 
dove. 

The  Germans  say:-— 

"  We  hang  the  paltry  thief,  but  let  the  big  go  free." 
"  One  man  may  steal  a  horse,  while  another  may  not  look 
over  the  hedge." 

A  WICKED  MAN. 

No  one  ever  reached  the  climax  of  vice  at  one 
leap. 

So  Psalm  Ixix.  27:— 

"  Add  iniquity  unto  their  iniquity." 


JUfENAL.  251 

Beaumont  and  Fletcher  ("  A  King  and  no  King,"  act  v.  sc. 
4)  says:— 

"  There  is  a  method  in  man's  wickedness, 

It  grows  up  by  degrees." 
And  Sir  P.  Sydney  ("  Arcadia,"  bk.  i.)  :— 
"  There  is  no  man  suddenly  either  excellently  good  or  ex- 
tremely evil." 

ATHEISM. 

That  there  are  departed  spirits  and  subterranean 
regions  below  Charon's  pole,  and  filthy  frogs  in  the 
Stygian  pool,  that  so  many  souls  are  ferried  across 
in  one  frail  boat  not  even  boys  believe,  except  they 
be  so  young  as  not  to  be  charged  for  their  bath. 

CHARACTER  OF  THE   ROMANS, 

What  could  I  do  at  Home  ?  I  cannot  teach  my 
lips  to  lie.  If  a  book  be  bad,  I  cannot  praise  it  and 
beg  a  copy.  1  am  no  astrologer ;  I  neither  will  nor 
can  promise  a  father's  death:  I  have  never  exam- 
ined the  entrails  of  &  toad  for  poison. 

FREEDMEN. 

Minions,  then  lords  of  every  princely  dome. 

THE   GREEKS. 

Bid  the  hungry  Greek  go  to  heaven!    He'll  go. 
So  Johnson: — 

"  All  sciences  the  hungry  Monsieur  knows, 
And  bid  him  go  to  hell— to  hell  he  goes." 

A  FLATTERER. 

This  nation,  deeply  versed  in  flattery,  praises 
the  conversation  of  an  ignoramus,  the  face  of  a 
supremely  ugly  friend. 

THE   GREEKS. 

There  every  man  is  an  actor.    Do  you  smile  ? 


252  JUVENAL. 

His  sides  burst  with  laughter;  if  he  spies  a  tear  in 
a  friend's  eye,  he  melts  in  tears,  though  in  reality 
he  feels  no  grief.  If  at  mid-winter  you  ask  for  a 
little  fire,  he  calls  for  his  great-coat.  If  you  say 
I  am  hot,  he  breaks  into  a  sweat. 

MONEY. 

In  proportion  to  the  money  a  man  keeps  in  his 
chest  is  credit  given  to  him. 

POVERTY. 

Cheerless  poverty  has  no  greater  evil  than  that 
it  makes  man  the  contempt  and  laughter  of  his 
fellows. 

POVERTY. 

Those  with  difficulty  emerge  from  obscurity 
whose  noble  qualities  are  depressed  by  narrow 
means  at  home;  but  at  Rome  for  such  like  the  at- 
tempt is  still  more  hopeless ;  it  is  only  at  an  exor- 
bitant rate  that  a  wretched  lodging  can  be  got,  a 
mean  attendance,  and  frugal  cheer. 

APING  OUR   BETTERS. 

This  is  a  fault  of  which  we  are  all  guilty.  Here 
we  all  in  the  midst  of  poverty  ape  our  betters. 
Why  should  I  take  up  your  time?  Everything  at 
Home  is  very  dear. 

A  MAN'S   OWN   18   PRECIOUS,    HOWEVER  SMALL,. 

It  is  something  in  any  place  and  in  any  retreat 
whatever  to  have  made  oneself  master  even  of  a 
single  lizard. 

THE  POOR. 

Mark  the  prelude  of  this  miserable  fray,  if  fray 
it  can  be  called,  where  he  only  cudgels  and  I  only 


JUVENAL.  253 

bear.  He  stands  in  front  of  you  and  orders  you 
to  stand.  Obey  you  must.  For  what  can  you  do, 
when  he  who  gives  the  orders  is  maddened  with 
wine  and  at  the  same  time  stronger  than  you. 
"Whence  do  you  come?"  he  thunders  out. 
"  With  whose  vinegar  or  beans  are  you  stuffed? 
What  cobbler  has  been  feasting  with  you  on 
chopped  leek  or  boiled  sheep's  head?  Don't  you 
answer?  Speak  or  be  kicked !  Say  where  do  you 
hang  out,  or  in  what  beggar's  stand  shall  I  find 
you?"  Whether  you  attempt  to  speak  or  retire 
in  silence  is  all  the  same.  They  beat  you  and  then 
in  ike  you  to  find  hail  to  answer  for  the  assault. 
This  is  a  poor  man's  libei'ty. 

ANOTHER   CRISPINUS. 

Once  more  behold  Crispinus,  and  often  shall  I 
have  to  summon  him  to  the  stage. 

THE  GUILTY. 

What  matters  it,  then,  in  what  long  colonnades 
he  tires  his  mules?  through  what  extensive  glades 
his  rides  extend?  how  many  acres  near  to  the  Fo- 
rum, and  what  palaces  he  has  bought?  Peace 
visits  not  the  guilty  mind. 

So  Psalm  xxxii.10  :— 

"  Many  sorrows  shall  be  to  the  wicked." 

A   TYRANT. 

For  tyrant's  ears,  alas!  are  ticklish  things. 

THE   COWARDLY. 

He  never  attempted  to  swim  against  the  current, 
nor  was  he  a  citizen  who  dared  speak  with  bold 
freedom  and  sacrifice  his  life  for  truth. 

This  last  expression  was  a  favorite  saying  of  Rousseau. 


254  JWENAL. 

THE   GREAT  AND  GOOD. 

Would  that  he  had  devoted  to  such  trifles  as 
these  all  those  years  of  cruelty,  during  which  he 
robbed  the  city  of  those  mighty  and  illustrious 
spirits  unchecked,  and  with  none  to  avenge  the 
dead ! 

GENEROSITY. 

No  one  looks  for  such  gifts  as  Seneca,  Piso,  or 
Cotta  used  to  send  to  their  humble  friends;  for  in 
days  of  old,  generosity  was  of  higher  value  than 
birth  or  power. 

THE   SELFISH. 

Be,  as  many  now  are,  luxurious  when  alone, 
parsimonious  to  your  guests. 

A  BARKEN  WIFE. 

A  barren  wife  procures 
The  kindest,  truest  friends ;  such,  then,  be  yours. 

A  GOOD  DINNER. 

He  fliinks  you  a  vile  slave,  drawn  by  the  smell 
of  his  warm  kitchen. 


And  'twas  her  dower  that  winged  the  unerring 
dart. 

DESCRIPTION   OF   A  RICH   AND   NOBLE   WIFE. 

A  very  phoenix  upon  earth,  and  rare  as  a  black 
swan — who  could  endure  a  wife  in  which  all  excel- 
lencies are  united?  I  would  rather,  far  rather, 
marry  a  country  girl  of  Venusia,  than  thee,  O 
Cornelia,  mother  of  the  Gracchi,  if  along  with  thy 
mightiness  thou  broughtest  a  proud  and  disdain- 


JUVENAL.  255 

f  ul  spirit,  and  countest  as  part  of  thy  dower  the- 
innumerable  triumphs  of  thy  family.  Away,  I 
beg,  with  thy  Hannibal  and  Syphax  conquered  in 
his  camp — troop,  with  the  whole  of  thy  Carthage. 

GREEK   LANGUAGE. 

Everything  is  in  Greek,  while  surely  it  is  more 
disgraceful  not  to  know  our  mother-tongue. 

LET  MY  WILL  STAND  FOE  A  REASON. 

When  a  man's  life  is  in  debate,  no  deliberation 
is  too  long.  Fool,  so  a  slave  is  a  man !  He  may 
have  done  nothing  deserving  of  death ;  I  grant  it,  I 
will  it,  I  insist  on  it!  My  will;  let  that,  sir,  for 
a  reason  stand. 

WOMEN. 

There  is  scarcely  a  single  cause  in  which  a 
woman  is  not  in  some  way  engaged  in  fomenting 
the  suit. 

"  Women's  jars  breed  men's  wars." 

CURTAIN   LECTURES. 

The  marriage-bed  is  still  the  scene  of  strife  and 
mutual  recriminations;  there  quiet  never  comes, 
that  comes  to  all. 

CROCODILE   TEARS. 

With  tears  in  abundance,  ever  at  her  call  and 
ready,  only  waiting  her  orders  which  way  to  flow. 

EVILS  OF  PEACE. 

Now  we  are  suffering  all  the  evils  of  long  peace. 
Luxury  more  terrible  than  war,  broods  over  Rome 
and  avenges  the  conquered  world. 


256  JUVENAL. 


THE   KEEPERS. 


"  Pur  on  a  lock ;  keep  her  in  confinement."  But 
who  is  to  keep  the  keepers  themselves? 

ITCH   OF   SCRIBBLING. 

An  incurable  itch  of  scribbling  clings  to  many, 
and  grows  inveterate  in  their  distempered  breast. 

TO  PAINT  A  CHARACTER. 

Such  an  one  as  I  cannot  paint  in  words,  though 
I  can  body  him  forth  in  my  mind's  eye. 

REPETITION. 

It  is  repetition,  like  hashed  cabbage  served  for 
each  repast,  that  wears  out  the  schoolmaster's 
life. 

Shakespeare  ("  King  John,"  act  iii.  sc.  4)  says: — 
"  Life  is  as  tedious  as  a  twice-told  tale, 
Vexing  the  dull  ear  of  a  drowsy  man." 

ALL   WISH  TO   KNOW. 

All  wish  to  know ;  but  none  the  price  will  pay. 

A   WHITE   CROW. 

Yet  he  indeed  was  lucky,  a  greater  rarity  than 
a  white  crow. 

TEACHERS. 

Lightly  lie  the  turf,  ye  gods,  and  void  of  weight, 
on  our  grandsires?  shades,  and  round  their  urn 
may  the  fragrant  crocus  bloom  and  eternal  spring, 
who  maintained  that  a  tutor  should  have  the  place 
and  honor  of  a  revered  parent. 

PEDIGREE. 

What  are  the  wondrous  merits  of  a  pedigree? 


JUVENAL.  257 

What  boots  it,  Ponticus,  to  be  accounted  of  an 
ancient  line  and  to  display  the  painted  faces  of 
your  ancestors? 

A   GENTLEMAN. 

Though  all  the  heroes  of  thy  line  bedeck  thy 
halls,  believe  me,  virtue  alone  is  true  nobility. 
Be  a  Paulus,  Cossus,  Drusus  in  moral  character. 
Let  the  bright  examples  of  their  lives  be  placed 
before  the  images  of  thy  ancestors.  Let  that, 
when  thou  art  consul,  take  the  place  of  thy  rods. 
Oh  give  me  inborn  worth !  If  thou  really  merit  the 
character  of  blameless  integrity,  of  staunch  love 
of  justice  both  in  words  and  deeds,  then  I  recog- 
nize thy  right  to  be  esteemed  a  gentleman. 

Tennyson  ("  Lady  Clara  Vere  de  Vere '"): — 
"  Howe'er  it  be,  it  seems  to  me 
'Tis  only  noble  to  be  good; 
Kind  hearts  are  more  than  coronets, 
And  simple  faith  than  Norman  blood." 

THE   IGNOBLY  BORN. 

"You  are  the  populace,"  he  says,  "the  very 
dregs  of  the  people;  not  a  man  of  you  can  tell  me 
where  his  father  was  born — but  I  am  a  Cecropid ! " 
"Long  life  to  thee,  and  mayest  thou  revel  in  the 
delights  of  such  a  descent!  Yet  from  the  lowest 
of  the  people  thou  wilt  find  a  Roman  distinguished 
for  his  eloquence.  It  is  he  that  usually  defends 
the  suits  of  the  ignorant  nolle.  From  the  toga'd 
crowd  will  come  one  that  can  solve  the  knotty 
points  of  law  and  the  enigmas  of  the  statutes." 

COMMON   SENSE. 

For  in  that  high  state  a  perception  of  the  wants 
and  wishes  of  others  rarely  shall  we  find. 
17 


258  JUVENAL. 

Seneca  (De  Benef.  i.  12)  says: — 

"  In  the  conferring  of  kindnesses  let  there  be  a  due  percep- 
tion of  the  wants  of  others;  let  time,  place,  and  parties  be- 
taken into  consideration." 

TO  BUILD  ON  THE  FAME  OF  OTHERS. 

It  is  sad  to  build  on  another's  fame,  lest  the 
whole  pile  fall  to  the  ground  when  the  supporting 
pillars  are  withdrawn.  Stretched  on  the  ground, 
the  vine's  weak  tendrils  try  to  clasp  the  elms  they 
drop  from.  Prove  thyself  brave,  a  faithful  guard- 
ian, an  incorruptible  judge.  If  ever  thou  be  sum- 
moned witness  in  a  dubious  and  uncertain  cause, 
though  Phalaris  himself  command  thee  to  for- 
swear thyself,  and  dictate  the  perjuries  with  his 
b.ull  placed  before  thy  eyes,  deem  it  the  highest 
crime  to  prefer  existence  to  honor,  and  sacrifice 
for  life  life's  only  end. 

So  Matthew  xvi.  26:— 

"  For  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  ex- 
change for  his  soul? " 

VICE  IN   HIGH  PLACES. 

Vice  glares  more  strongly  in  the  public  eye  as 
he  who  sins  is  high  in  power  or  place. 

SIGNS  OF   YOUTH. 

Brief  let  our  follies  be;  and  youthful  sin 
Fall  with  the  firstlings  of  the  manly  chin. 

PENECA   AND  NERO. 

Who,  Nero,  so  depraved,  if  choice  were  free, 
To  hesitate  'twixt  Seneca  and  thee? 

ANCESTORS. 

I  had  rather  that  vile  Thersites  were  thy  sire, 
so  thou  wert  like  Achilles,  and  couldst  wield 


JUVENAL.  259 

Vulcanian  arms,  than  that  Achilles  should  be  thy 
father,  and  thou  be  like  to  vile  Thersites.  And 
yet,  however  far  thou  tracest  thy  descent  and 
name  back,  thou  dost  but  derive  thy  origin  from 
the  infamous  sanctuary.  The  first  of  thy  ances- 
tors, whoever  he  was,  was  either  a  shepherd  or 
else — what  I  would  rather  not  mention. 

THE    TONGUE. 

The  tongue  is  the  vile  slave's  vilest  part. 

YOUTH. 

For  the  short-lived  bloom  and  contracted  span 
of  brief  and  wretched  life  is  fast  fleeting  away! 
While  we  are  drinking  and  calling  for  garlands, 
ointments,  and  women,  old  age  steals  swiftly  on 
with  noiseless  step. 
It  is  thus  translated  by  Gifford:— 

"  The  noiseless  foot  of  Time  steals  swiftly  by, 
And  ere  we  dream  of  manhood  age  is  nigh." 

BLINDNESS    OF  MAN. 

In  every  clime,  from  Gades  to  Ganges'  distant 
stream,  few  can  distinguish  between  what  is  really 
a  blessing  and  its  opposite,  freed  from  the  clouds 
of  mental  error.  For  what  is  there  that  we  either 
seek  or  shun  from  the  dictates  of  reason  ?  What 
is  there  that  thou  beginnest  so  auspiciously  that 
thou  dost  not  repent  of  thy  undertaking  and  the 
accomplishment  of  thy  wishes  ?  Too  indulgent 
heaven  has  overturned  whole  families  by  grant- 
ing their  owners'  prayers.  We  beg  for  what  will 
injure  us  in  peace  and  injure  us  in  war.  To  many 
a  full  and  rapid  flow  of  eloquence  has  proved 
fatal.  Even  strength  itself  is  fatal.  Milo,  trust- 
ing to  his  muscles,  mot  his  death. 


2GO  JUVENAL. 

Cicero  (De  Fin.  i.  13)  says:— 

"The  granting  of  desires  has  overthrown  not  only  single 
individuals  but  whole  families." 
And  Shakespeare  says:— 

"  We,  ignorant  of  ourselves, 
Beg  often  our  own  harms,  which  the  wise  powers 
Deny  us  for  our  good:  so  find  we  profit 
By  losing  of  our  prayers." 
And  Roscommon  thus  tells  the  story  of  Milo : — 

"  Remember  Milo's  end — 
Wedged  in  the  timber  which  he  strove  to  rend." 

THE   POOR. 

It  is  rarely  that  a  marauder  pays  his  visit  to  a 
garret. 

GOLD. 

The  traveller  with  empty  pockets  will  sing  even 
in  the  bandit's  face.  The  prayers  that  are  gener- 
ally first  offered  up  and  best  known  in  our  temples, 
are  that  our  riches  and  wealth  may  increase,  that 
our  money-chest  be  the  largest  in  the  whole 
Forum.  But  no  aconite  is  drunk  from  earthen- 
ware. Then  is  the  time  to  dread  it  when  thou 
quaffest  from  jewelled  cups  and  the  ruddy  Setine 
glows  in  the  broad  gold. 

Ovid  (Nux.  43)  says  to  the  same  effect: — 

"  Thus  the  traveller  who  knows  that  he  possesses  anything 
of  value  is  afraid  of  being  waylaid:  the  empty-handed  goes 
on  his  journey  in  safety." 

A  VERBOSE   EPISTLE. 

A  huge,  wordy  letter  came  to-day 
From  Capreae. 

PUBLIC   CORRUPTION. 

Ever  since  we  sold  our  votes  to  none,  the  people 
have  thrown  aside  all  anxiety  for  the  public  weal. 
For  that  sovereign  people  that  once  gave  away 


JUVENAL.  261 

military  commands,  consulships,  legions,  every- 
thing, now  bridles  its  desires,  and  anxiously  prays 
only  for  two  things — bread  and  the  games  of  the 
circus. 

LOVE     OF    POWER. 

'Tis  nature  this;  even  those  who  want  the  will 
Pant  for  the  dreadful  privilege  to  kill. 

HIGH    FORTUNE. 

For  he,  who  wished  for  excessive  honors  and 
prayed  for  excessive  wealth,  was  raising,  stage 
above  stage,  a  tottering  tower,  only  that  the  fall 
might  be  the  greater,  "  with  hideous  ruin  and 
combustion  down." 
Johnson  says: — 

"  What  gave  great  Villiers  to  th'  assassin's  knife, 
And  fix'd  disease  on  Harley's  closing  life  ? 
What  murder'd  Wentvvorth,  and  what  exiled  Hyde, 
By  kings  protected  and  to  kings  allied  ? 
What  but  the  wish  indulged  in  courts  to  shine, 
And  power  too  great  to  keep  or  to  resign." 

CICEB®    AND    DEMOSTHENES. 

"  How  fortunate  a  natal  day  was  thine, 
In  that  late  consulate,  O  Rome,  of  mine!  " 

He  might  have  scorned  the  swords  of  Antony 
if  he  had  uttered  nothing  better  than  this.  I  had 
rather  write  poems,  a  common  jest,  than  thee,  di- 
vine Philippic,  of  distinguished  fame,  that  second 
scroll!  A  cruel  fate,  too,  carried  him  off,  whom 
Athens  used  to  admire,  while  his  eloquence  over- 
awed the  fierce  democracy  and  "f'ulmined  over 
Greece."  With  inauspicious  gods  and  adverse 
fate  was  he  born,  whom  his  father,  blear-eyed 
with  the  grime  of  the  glowing  mass  sent  from  the 
coal,  the  pincers,  sword-forging  anvil,  and  sooty 
Viilcan,  to  study  rhetoric. 


262  JUVENAL. 

Milton  ("Paradise  Regained,"  bk.  iv.  1.  367)  says  of  Demos- 
thenes:— 

"  Thence  to  the  famous  orators  repair, 
Those  ancients,  whose  resistless  eloquence 
Wielded  at  will  that  fierce  democraty." 

FAME. 

So  much  greater  is  the  thirst  for  fame  than  gen- 
erous deeds.  For  who  is  willing  to  embrace  vir- 
tue herself,  if  thou  takest  away  its  reward?  And 
yet,  in  former  days,  this  desire  of  a  few  for  glory 
has  been  the  ruin  of  their  native  land;  that  long- 
ing for  immortality  and  those  monumental  in- 
scriptions to  grace  the  marble  that  guard  their 
ashes;  though  to  rend  these  the  destructive 
strength  of  the  barren  tig-tree  is  sufficient.  Since 
even  to  sepulchres  themselves  fate  hath  fore-or- 
dained their  day  of  doom.  Weigh  the  dust  of 
Hannibal.  How  many  pounds  wilt  thou  find  in 
that  mighty  general!  Yet  this  is  he  who  will  not 
be  confined  within  the  limits  of  Africa,  lashed  by 
the  Mauritanian  ocean,  and  stretching  even  to  the 
steaming  Nile,  and  then  again  to  the  races  of  the 
CEthiopes  and  their  tall  elephants. 
Byron  thus  expresses  the  same  idea:— 

"  Weighed  in  the  balance,  hero  dust 

Is  vile  as  vulgar  clay; 
Thy  scales,  Mortality !  are  just 

To  all  that  pass  away." 

GLORY. 

What  then  ensued?  Oh  glory!  this  self-same 
man  is  conquered,  and  flying  with  headlong  haste 
to  exile,  sits,  a  mighty  and  strange  suppliant,  at 
the  palace  door  of  the  Bithynian  king  till  his  ma 
esty  be  pleased  to  wake.  That  soul,  whose  frown 
alarmed  the  world,  shall  be  put  an  end  to  neither 
by  swords,  nor  stones,  nor  javelins,  but  a  ring  will 


JUVENAL.  263 

be  the  avenger  of  Cannae's  fatal  field  and  its 
mighty  carnage.  Fly,  madman,  climb  the  rugged 
Alps  that  them  mayest  please  the  rhetoricians  and 
be  a  theme  at  school!  One  world  was  too  small 
for  the  youth  of  Pella.  He  gasps  for  breath  within 
the  narrow  limits  of  the  universe,  poor  soul,  as 
though  immured  in  Gyaros'  small  rock  or  tiny  fee- 
riphos.  When,  however,  he  shall  have  entered 
within  Babylon's  brick  walls,  he  will  be  content 
with  a  sarcophagus.  Death  alone  proclaims  the 
true  dimensions  of  our  puny  frames. 

Valerius  Maximus  (viii.  14)  puts  these  words  into  the  mouth 
of  Alexander:— 

"  Ah  me  miserable !  that  I  have  not  yet  got  possession  of 
one  world." 

DESCRIPTION  OF  OLD  AGE. 

"Life,  length  of  life!  give  many  years,  O  Jupi- 
ter." This  thou  prayest  for  whether  sick  or  well. 
But  with  what  unceasing  and  grievous  ills  is 
old  age  loaded?  First  of  all,  a  face  hideous  and 
ghastly,  changed  from  its  former  self ;  for  a  smooth 
skin,  a  hide  with  scruff  overgrown,  and  flabby 
cheeks,  and  such  wrinkles  as  many  a  grandam  ape 
is  seen  to  scrape  in  her  wizened  jowl  in  Tabraca's 
thick  woods. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Incert.  48)  — 

"Oh  old  age,  in  what  hopes  of  pleasure  thou  indulges!? 
Every  man  wishes  to  reach  thee:  and  having  made  trial,  re- 
pents: as  there  is  nothing  worse  in  mortal  life." 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Or.  p.  570,  M.)  says:— 

"Our  life  much  resembles  wine;  when  there  is  only  a  little 
remaining,  it  becomes  vinegar:  for  all  the  ills  of  human  na- 
ture crowd  to  old  age  as  if  it  were  a  workshop." 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  514,  M.)  says:— 

"Oh  old  age,  how  much  desired  and  blest  thou  art  by  all 
men,  then  when  thou  art  present,  how  sad  and  full  of  misery  1 
no  one  speaks  well  of  thee,  but  every  one,  who  speaks  wisely, 
speaks  ill  of  thee. " 


264  JUVENAL. 

Compare  Hamlet's  speech  to  Polonius,  and  "As  You  Lake 
It"  (.actii.  sc.  7):— 

"  His  big  manly  voice, 
Turning  again  towards  childish  treble,  pipes 
And  whistles  in  its  sound." 
Mrs.  Thrale  ("  Three  Warnings  "):— 

"  The  tree  of  deepest  root  is  found 
Least  willing  still  to  quit  the  ground; 
'Twas  therefore  said,  by  ancient  sages, 
That  love  of  life  increased  with  years 
So  much,  that  in  our  later  stages 
When  pains  grow  sharp,  and  sickness  rages, 
The  greatest  love  of  life  appears." 

BEAUTY   AND   MODESTY. 

For  rarely  do  we  meet  in  one  combined 
A  beauteous  body  and  a  virtuous  mind. 

PRAYEK  TO    THE   GODS. 

Must,  then,  men  pray  for  nothing?  If  thou  take 
my  advice,  thou  wilt  allow  the  gods  themselves  to 
decide  what  is  best  for  us  and  most  suitable  for 
our  circumstances.  For  instead  of  our  imaginary 
bliss,  the  gods  will  give  us  real  good.  In  truth, 
man  is  dearer  to  the  gods  than  to  himself.  Led  on 
by  the  impulse  of  our  feelings,  by  blind  and  head- 
long passion,  we  petition  for  wife  and  children; 
but  they  alone  know  what  kind  of  wife  and  chil- 
dren they  will  prove.  That,  however,  you  may 
have  something  to  pray  for  and  may  present  at  their 
shrines  thy  pious  offerings,  be  this  thy  prayer: 
Vouchsafe  me  health  of  body  and  peace  of  mind; 
pray  for  a  firm  soul,  proof  against  the  threats  of 
death,  that  reckons  the  closing  scene  of  life  among 
nature's  kindly  boons,  that  can  patiently  endure 
the  labors  of  life,  that  is  able  to  restrain  anger 
and  desire  alike,  and  counts  the  cares  and  toils  of 
Hercules  to  be  far  preferable  to  the  wan  ton  nights, 
rich  banquets,  and  downy  couch  of  Sardanapalus. 


JUVENAL.  205 

I  teach  thee  what  blessings  thou  canst  bestow  on 
thyself.  The  only  certain  road  to  peace  of  mind 
is  through  a  virtuous  life.  If  we  were  wise,  we 
should  see,  O  Fortune,  nothing  divine  in  thee;  it  is 
we  ourselves  that  have  made  thee  a  goddess,  and 
placed  thy  throne  in  heaven. 

Socrates  hi  Plato  (Alcib.  ii.  5) : — 

"  That  poet,  Alcibiades,  was  not  far  from  being  a  wise  per- 
son, who,  finding  himself  connected  with  some  senseless 
friends,  doing  and  praying  for  things  which  it  would  be  bet- 
ter for  them  to  be  without,  though  they  thought  otherwise, 
made  use  of  a  prayer  in  common  for  all  to  this  eifect:  'O 
Jupiter,  our  king,  grant  to  us  whatever  is  good,  whether  we 
pray  for  it  or  not:  but  avert  what  is  evil,  even  though  we 
offer  our  prayers  to  obtain  it.'  " 

And  in  respect  to  children,  Socrates  says  (Alcib.  ii.  5): — 

"  And  in  regard  to  children,  you  will  find  in  the  same  way 
how  that  some  persons,  after  having  prayed  that  they  might 
be  blessed  with  them,  have,  when  they  are  born,  found  them- 
selves overwhelmed  in  the  greatest  calamities  and  miseries. 
For  some,  whose  children  '  are  given  over  to  work  all  unclean- 
ness  with  greediness,'  have  passed  their  whole  lives  in  sorrow: 
while  others,  though  their  children  were  well-behaved,  having 
lost  them,  have  felt  the  sorrows  of  life  not  less  acutely  than 
the  others,  wishing  that  their  children  had  never  been  born." 

Shakespeare  ("  Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  act  ii.  sc.  1): — 

"  We  ignorant  of  ourselves, 
Beg  often  our  own  harms,  which  the  wise  powers 
Deny  us  for  our  good;  so  find  we  profit, 
By  losing  of  our  prayers." 

"  Health  of  body  and  peace  of  mind."  This  is  what  Epi- 
curus prayed  for  (Diog.  Laert.  vi.  131):— 

"  Neither  to  have  pain  in  body,  nor  to  be  troubled  in  spirit." 

So  Jeremiah  vi.  16: — 

"  Ask  where  is  the  good  way  and  walk  therein,  and  ye  shall 
find  rest  for  your  souls." 

KNOW    THYSELF. 

I  should  with  reason  despise  that  man  who 
knows  how  much  Atlas  soars  above  all  other 
mountains  in  Africa,  and  yet  is  ignorant  how 
much  a  small  purse  differs  from  an  iron-bound 


266  JUVENAL. 

chest.  "  Know  thyself  "  came  down  from  heaven 
to  be  impressed  in  living  characters  upon  thy 
heart,  and  even  pondered  in  thy  thoughts. 

KNOW    THYSELF. 

In  great  concerns  and  small,  one  must  know 
one's  own  measure  even  when  "going  to  buy  a  fish; 
lest  thou  shouldst  long  for  a  mullet,  when  thou 
hast  only  money  for  a  gudgeon  in  thy  purse. 
What  is  to  be  the  end  of  thee  if  thy  throat 
widens  as  thy  pockets  shrink;  when  thy  patri- 
mony and  whole  fortune  is  squandered  on  thy 
belly,  that  deep  abyss,  which  can  hold  everything, 
land,  cattle,  horses,  silver,  gold. 

PLEASURES. 

Our  very  sports  by  repetition  tire, 

But  rare  delight  breeds  ever  new  desire. 

AVARICE. 

Some  men  do  not  make  fortunes  for  the  sake  of 
living,  but,  blinded  by  avarice,  live  for  the  sake  of 
money  only. 

REMORSE. 

Man,  wretched  man,  whene'er  he  stoops  to  sin, 
Feels,  with  the  act,  a  strong  remorse  within. 

CONSCIENCE. 

By  the  verdict  of  his  own  breast  no  guilty  man  is 
ever  acquitted. 

MODERATION. 

Let  us  lay  aside  all  inordinate  complaints.  A 
man's  grief  ought  never  to  show  itself  beyond  due 
bounds,  but  be  proportioned  to  the  blow  it  has 
received. 


JUVENAL.  267 

WISDOM     BY    EXPERIENCE. 

Yet  we  deem  those  too  happy  who,  with  daily 
life  for  their  instructress,  have  learnt  of  old  ex- 
perience to  endure  the  inconveniences  of  life  and 
not  shake  off  the  yoke. 

So  Milton  says: — 

"To  know 

That  which  before  us  lies  in  daily  life, 
Is  the  prime  wisdom." 

THE    GOOD. 

THE  GOOD,  ALAS,  ARE  FEW!    "The  valued  file," 
Less  than  the  gates  of  Thebes,  the  mouths  of  Nile ! 

So  Genesis  xviii.  32:— 

"And  he  said,  .  .  .  Peradventure,  ten  shall  be  found  there 
And  he  said,  I  will  not  destroy  it  for  ten's  sake." 

THE   GODS    AS    WITNESSES. 

For  'tis  so  common,  in  this  age  of  ours, 
So  easy,  to  contemn  the  Immortal  Powers, 
That,  can  we  but  elude  man's  searching  eyes, 
We  laugh  to  scorn  the  witness  of  the  skies. 

SLOWNESS   OP   PUNISHMENTS   AND   FATES   OF   MEN. 

All  powerful  though  the  wrath  of  the  gods  may 
be,  yet  certainly  it  is  slow-paced.  If,  therefore, 
they  prepare  to  punish  all  the  guilty,  when  will 
they  come  to  me?  But,  besides,  I  may  perchance 
find  that  the  divinity  may  be  appeased  by  prayers: 
it  is  not  unusual  with  him  to  pardon  such  perju- 
ries as  these.  Many  commit  the  same  crimes  with 
results  widely  different.  One  man  is  crucified  as 
a  reward  of  his  villany,  another  ascends  a  throne. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Incert.  2)  says:— 

"  Vengeance  advancing  boldly  will  not  strike  you— be  not 
afraid — in  front,  nor  any  other  wicked  man,  but  creeping 


268  JUVENAL. 

silently  and  with  slow  foot,  will  grasp  the  scoundrels  when 
she  falls  in  with  them." 
Young  says:— 

"  One  to  destroy  is  murder  by  the  law, 
And  gibbets  keep  the  lifted  hand  hi  awe; 
To  murder  thousands  takes  a  specious  name, 
War's  glorious  art,  and  gives  immortal  fame." 

MONEY. 

And  money  is  bewailed  with  deeper  sighs, 
Than  friends  or  kindred,  and  with  louder  cries. 

PHILOSOPHY. 

Divine  philosophy  weeds  from  our  breast,  by 
degrees,  full  many  a  vice  and  every  kind  of  error. 
She  is  the  first  to  teach  us  what  is  right:  for  re- 
venge is  ever  the  abject  pleasure  of  au  abject 
mind.  Be  assured  of  this,  since  no  one  delights 
more  in  revenge  than  poor  weak  womankind. 
Yet  why  should  you  imagine  that  those  have 
escaped  whom  their  mind,  weighed  down  by  a 
sense  of  guilt,  keeps  in  constant  terror  and  lashes 
with  an  invisible  thong,  while  conscience,  as  their 
tormentor,  plies  a  scourge  unmarked  by  human 
eyes?  Nay,  fearful  is  their  punishment,  and  far 
more  terrible  than  those  which  the  sanguinary 
Caeditius  invents  or  Rhadamanthus;  bearing,  as 
they  do,  in  their  own  breast,  day  and  night,  a 
witness  against  themselves. 

WICKEDNESS   DEVISED   IS   DONE. 

For,  IN  THE  EYE  OF  HEAVEN,  a  wicked  deed 
Devised,  is  done. 

Shakespeare  ("  King  John,"  activ.  sc.  2 )  says:— 
"  The  deed  which  both  our  tongues  held  vile  to  name." 
Byron  says : — 

"  What  is  the  sin  which  is  not 
Sin  in  itself?    Can  circumstances  make  sin 
Or  virtue?  " 
"  Man  punishes  the  action,  but  God  the  intention." 


JUVENAL.  269 

THE   NATURE   OF  "WICKED  MEN. 

The  nature  of  the  wicked  is  in  general  fickle  and 
variable.  While  they  are  engaged  in  their  evil 
deeds,  they  have  resolution,  and  more  than  enough. 
When  they  have  accomplished  their  foul  acts,  then 
it  is  that  they  begin  to 'feel  the  difference  between 
right  and  wrong. 

NATURE   FIXED. 

Incapable  of  change,  Nature  still 
Recurs  to  her  old  habits. 

HEAVEN  NEITHER  DEAF  NOB  BLIND. 

Thou  wilt  exult  in  the  bitter  punishment  of  the 
hated  scoundrel,  and  at  length  with  joy  confess 
that  no  one  of  the  gods  is  either  deaf  or  blind  like 
Tiresias. 

A  PETTY  TYRANT. 

Who,  the  stern  tyrant  of  his  small  domain, 
The  Polypheme  of  his  domestic  train. 

PATERNAL  EXAMPLE. 

The  examples  of  vice  that  we  witness  at  home 
corrupt  us  more  speedily  and  sooner  when  they  in- 
sinuate themselves  into  our  minds  sanctioned  by 
those  on  whom  our  earliest  thoughts  dwell.  Such 
practices  may,  perhaps,  be  spurned  by  one  or  two 
youths  whose  hearts  have  been  formed  by  God 
with  kindlier  art  and  moulded  of  a  purer  clay. 
But  their  sire's  footsteps,  though  they  deserve  to 
be  shunned,  lead  on  the  rest,  and  the  path  of  in- 
veterate profligacy  that  has  long  been  pointed  out 
to  them  lures  them  on. 

So  2  Timothy  iii.  18  :  — 

"  But  evil  men  and  seducers  shall  wax  worse  and  worse,  de- 
ceiving, and  being  deceived." 


270  JUVENAL. 

YOUTH. 

Since  we  are  all  too  ready  to  follow  the  example 
set  by  the  depraved  and  wicked:  a  Catiline  thou 
mayest  see  in  any  people  under  any  sky,  but  a 
Brutus  or  a  Cato  thou  wilt  nowhere  find.  Let  no 
immodest  sight  or  word  approach  the  doors  which 
close  upon  your  child. 

CHILDREN. 

His  child's  unsullied  purity  demands  the  deepest 
reverence  at  a  parent's  hand.  When  thou  art  con- 
templating some  base  deed,  forget  not  thy  child's 
tender  years,  but  let  the  presence  of  thy  infant 
son  act  as  a  check  on  thy  headlong  course  to  sin. 

So  Ephesians  vi.  4: — 

"  And,  ye  fathers,  provoke  not  your  children  to  wrath;  but 
bring  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord." 

EVIL   EXAMPLE. 

With  what  front  canst  thou  exercise  the  powers 
of  a'father,  thou  who  thyself,  though  tottering  on 
the  verge  of  the  grave,  dost  worse  than  this  ? 

THE  JEWS. 

Some,  whose  fate  it  is  to  have  a  father^who  rev- 
erences the  Sabbath,  bow  down  to  nothing  except 
the  clouds  and  the  Divinity  of  heaven;  regarding 
with  equal  loathing  the  flesh  of  man  and  swine,  fol- 
lowing the  tradition  of  their  fathers.  Soon,  too, 
they  submit  to  circumcision.  Taught  to  deride 
the  Roman  ritual,  they  study,  observe,  and  rever- 
ence those  Jewish  statutes  found  in  the  mystic 
volume  of  Moses — such  as  never  point  the  road  or 
make  the  fountain  known  except  to  the  circum- 
cised alone.  But  their  bigot  father  taught  them 
this,  who  whiled  away  each  seventh  revolving  day 
in  sloth,  and  kept  aloof  from  life's  daily  duties. 


JUVENAL.  271 

AVAKICE. 

"  What  does  the  world  say  !  How  sounds  the 
loud  trumpet  of  slanderous  fame  ?  "  "  What  mat- 
ters that  to  me  ?"  says  he;  "I  had  rather  have  a 
lupin's  pod  added  to  my  store  than  that  the  whole 
neighborhood  should  praise  me,  if  I  am  to  be 
cursed  with  the  scant  produce  of  a  small  estate." 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1091,  M.)  says:— 

"  If  it  were  not  for  the  love  of  grasping,  there  would  not  be 
a  single  wicked  man  in  the  world.  That  shows  the  real  love 
of  money,  when,  forgetting  to  look  at  what  is  just,  thou  art 
altogether  the  slave  of  gain." 

RICHES. 

For  he  who  wishes  to  become  rich,  wishes  to  be- 
come so  speedily. 

So  Proverbs  xxviii.  20:— 

"  He  that  maketh  haste  to  be  rich,  shall  not  be  innocent." 


Gain  smells  sweet  from  any  source.     Let  this 

saying  be  always  on  thy  tongue — worthy  of  the 

gods,  and  even  of  Jove  himself — No  one  asks  thee 

how  thou  gettest  it,  but  get  it  thou  must. 

This  alludes  to  Vespasian's  answer  to  Titus  (Suet.  Vesp.  23). 

VICE. 

No  one  thinks  it  enough  to  sin  just  so  much  as 
thou  allowest,  they  go  far  beyond  the  limit  as- 
signed them. 

WEALTH. 
Wretched  is  the  guardianship  of  a  large  fortune. 

NATUBE  AND  WISDOM. 

Nature  and  wisdom  never  are  at  strife. 


272  JUVENAL. 

SUPERSTITION. 

Oh  holy  nations !    Sacro-sanct  abodes ! 
Where  every  garden  propagates  its  gods. 

BIGOTKY. 

On  both  sides  a  deadly  hate  arises  on  this  ac- 
count, because  each  hates  its  neighbor's  gods,  be- 
lieving those  only  to  be  gods  which  itself  wor- 
ships. 

THE   WICKED. 

Now  earth,  grown  old  and  frigid,  rears  with  pain 
A  pigmy  brood,  a  weak  and  wicked  train. 

FEELIXG   HEARTS. 

Nature  proclaims  that  she  has  given  mankind 
feeling  hearts  by  giving  us  tears.  This  is  the 
greatest  boon  that  she  has  bestowed  upon  us.  In 
this  way  she  bids  us  sympathize  with  the  misfort- 
unes of  a  sorrowing  friend,  bewail  the  prisoners 
fate  or  the  misery  of  the  orphan,  compelled  to 
summon  his  guardian  to  court  that  he  may  recover 
his  inheritance,  so  soft  his  tresses  and  so  bedewed 
with  tears  that  thou  wouldst  doubt  his  sex  and 
take  him  for  a  girl.  It  is  as  Nature  bids,  when  we 
mourn  some  young  maiden  conveyed  to  the  grave 
before  her  time,  or  some  infant  just  shown  on 
earth  and  hurried  to  the  tomb.  For  what  good 
man,  who  that  is  worthy  of  the  mystic  torch,  such 
an  one  as  Ceres'  priest  would  have  him  be,  ever 
deems  the  woes  of  others  not  his  own?  This  it  is 
that  distinguishes  us  from  the  brute  creation,  and 
therefore  we  alone,  gifted  with  superior  powers 
and  capable  of  things  divine,  fitted  for  the  prac- 
tice and  reception  of  every  useful  art,  have  re- 
ceived from  high  heaven  a  moral  sense  denied  to 


LIVY.  273 

creatures  prone  and  downward  bent.  In  the  be- 
ginning the  Almighty  Creator  of  this  vast  fabric 
breathed  life  in  them,  a  reasoning  soul  in  MS,  that 
mutual  kindness  might  be  lighted  up  in  our  hearts 
to  return  the  good  which  others  did  us. 

BEAKS    AGREE. 

Bears,  savage  to  others,  are  yet  at  peace  among 
themselves. 

Theocritus  (Idyll  ix.  31)  says,  in  like  manner:— 

"Cicala  is  dear  to  cicala,  ant  to  ant,  hawks  to  hawks;  but 
to  me  the  Muse  and  song." 

It  is  the  common  proverb — 

"  Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together." 

So  Ecclesiasticus  xiii.  16:— 

"All  flesh  consorteth  according  to  kind,  ayd  a  man  will 
cleave  to  his  like." 

And  again  (xxvii.  10) : — 

"  The  birds  will  return  to  their  like." 


LIVY. 

BORN  B.C.  59 — DIED   A.D.    17. 

LIVIUS,  the  celebrated  Roman  historian,  born  at 
Patavium,  the  modern  Padua,  B.C.  59,  in  the  con- 
sulship of  Caesar  and  Bibulus,  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  at  Rome,  where  his  literary  talents 
gained  him  the  patronage  and  friendship  of  Au- 
gustus. He  must  have  enjoyed  great  influence  at 
the  imperial  court,  and  became  so  distinguished 
that  a  Spaniard,  as  Pliny  (Ep.  ii.  3)  tells  us,  trav- 
elled from  Cadiz  to  Rome  solely  for  the  purpose 
of  seeing  him,  and  when  he  had  satisfied  his  curi- 


274  LIVT. 

osity,  immediately  returned  home.  He  was  mar- 
ried, and  left  at  least  two  children.  These  are  all 
the  particulars  that  have  come  down  to  us  respect- 
ing him.  The  only  extant  work  of  Livy  is  a  His- 
tory of  Rome,  extending  from  the  foundation  of 
the  city  to  the  death  of  Drusus,  B.C.  9,  which  was 
comprised  in  142  books,  of  these  only  35  have  de- 
scended, though  we  possess  summaries  of  the  rest. 

CHILDKEN. 

Children,  a  bond  of  union  than  which  the  hu- 
man heart  feels  none  more  endearing. 

WOMEX. 

To  these  persuasions  was  added  the  soothing 
behavior  of  their  husbands  themselves,  who 
urged,  in  extenuation  of  the  violence  they  had 
been  tempted  to  commit,  the  excess  of  passion 
and  the  force  of  love:  arguments  than  which 
there  can  be  none  more  powerful  to  assuage  the 
irritation  of  the  female  mind. 

f  THE  IJAT>. 

Evil  is  fittest  to  consort  with  its  like. 

FATHERLAND. 

Affection  for  the  soil  itself,  which,  in  length  of 
time,  is  acquired  from  habit. 

A  KING. 

A  king  was  a  human  being;  from  him  a  request 
might  be  obtained,  whether  right  or  wrong;  with 
him  there  was  room  for  favor,  and  for  acts  of  kind- 
ness; he  could  be  angry,  and  he  could  forgive;  he 
knew  a  distinction  between  a  friend  and  an  enemy. 


LIVY.  275 

LAW. 

Law  is  deaf,  inexorable,  calculated  rather  for 
the  safety  and  advantage  of  the  poor  than  of  the 
rich,  and  admits  of  no  relaxation  or  indulgence,  if 
its  bounds  are  transgressed.  Men  being  liable  to 
so  many  mistakes,  to  have  no  other  security  but 
innocence  is  a  hazardous  situation. 

FACTION. 

A  spirit  of  faction,  and  men's  regard  to  their 
own  private  interests,  things  which  ever  did,  and 
ever  will  impede  the  public  counsels. 

So  Matthew  xxiv.  12:— 

"  And  because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many  shall 
wax  cold." 

CIVIL   DISSENSIONS. 

Civil  dissensions,  the  only  infection,  the  only 
poison  that  operated,  so  as  to  set  limits  to  the 
duration  of  great  empires. 

HONOR   DECLINED. 

So  true  it  is,  that  honor  prudently  declined, 
often  comes  back  with  increased  lustre. 

So  Matthew  xviii.  4:— 

"  Whosoever  therefore  shall  humble  himself  as  this  little 
child,  the  same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

GRATIFICATION   OF   WISHES. 

The  gratification  of  their  wishes,  as  is  generally 
the  case,  instantly  begat  disgust. 

PRESENT   SUFFERINGS. 

Men  feel  more  sensibly  the  weight  of  present 
sufferings  than  of  such  as  exist  only  in  apprehen- 
sion. 


276  LIVY. 

GREAT   ANIMOSITIES. 

Great  contests  generally  excite  great  animosi- 
ties. 

PRIDE. 

That  the  punishments  which  attended  pride  and 
cruelty,  though  they  might  come  late,  were  not 
light, 

LIBERTY. 

So  difficult  is  it  to  preserve  moderation  in  the 
asserting  of  liberty,  while,  under  the  pretence  of 
a  desire  to  balance  rights,  each  elevates  himself  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  depress  another ;  for  men  are 
apt,  by  the  very  measures  which  they  adopt  to 
free  themselves  from  fear,  to  become  the  objects 
of  fear  to  others,  and  to  fasten  upon  them  the 
burden  of  injustice  which  they  have  thrown  off 
from  their  own  shoulders,  as  if  there  existed  .in 
nature  a  perpetual  necessity  either  of  doing  or  of 
suffering  injury. 

PRIVATE  INTEREST. 

It  results  from  the  nature  of  the  human  mind, 
that  he,  who  addresses  the  public  with  a  view  to 
his  own  particular  benefit,  is  studious  of  rendering 
himself  more  generally  agreeable  than  he  who  has 
no  other  object  but  the  advantage  of  the  public. 

A  GOOD  NAME. 

The  loss  of  reputation  and  the  esteem  of  man- 
kind are  of  importance  beyond  what  can  be  esti- 
mated. 

FACTIONS. 

Factions  which  have  proved,  and  will  ever  con- 
tinue to  prove,  a  more  deadly  cause  of  downfall  to 


L1VY.  277 

most  states  than  either  foreign  wars,  or  famine, 
or  pestilence,  or  any  other  of  those  evils,  which 
men  are  apt  to  consider  as  the  severest  of  public 
calamities  and  the  effects  of  divine  vengeance. 

NECESSITY. 
Necessity  is  the  last  and  strongest  weapon. 

REWARDS. 

There  was  nothing  which  men  would  not  under-  \j 
take,  if  for  great  attempts  great  rewards  were   ' 
proposed. 


Success,  as  on  many  other  occasions,  attended 
merit. 

PUBLIC  FAVORS. 

Honors  and  public  favors  sometimes  offer  them- 
selves the  more  readily  to  those,  who  have  no  am- 
bition for  them. 

PLEASURE. 

Toil  and  pleasure,  in  their  natures  opposite,  are 
yet  linked  together  in  a  kind  of  necessary  connec- 
tion. 

THE   BRAVE   MAN. 

It  is  generally  the  case,  that  the  man  who  is 
most  ready  on  every  occasion  to  undertake  the 
largest  share  of  toil  and  danger,  is  the  least  active 
in  plundering. 

WAR. 
War  has  its  laws  as  well  as  peace.  \ 

. 


278  LIVY. 

FORTUNE. 

When  Fortune  is  determined  upon  the  ruin  of  a 
people,  she  can  so  blind  them  as  to  render  them 
insensible  to  danger  even  of  the  greatest  magni- 
tude. 

WOE. 
Woe  to  the  vanquished! 

ADVEIiSITY. 

Adversity  reminds  men  of  religion. 

So  Psalm  Ixxviii.  3:— 

•'I  remembered  God,  and  was  troubled:  I  complained,  and 
my  spirit  was  overwhelmed." 

WOMAN. 

The  merest  trifles  will  often  affect  the  female 
mind. 

THOSe  ON  A  LEVEL  WITH  US. 

It  is  certain  that  scarcely  any  man  can  bear  to 
be  surpassed  by  those  nearest  their  own  level. 


As  it  frequently  happens  that  men,  by  endeav- 
oring to  shun  their  fate,  run  directly  upon  it. 

THE   BBAVE. 

The  event  afforded  a  proof  that  fortune  assists 
the  brave. 

ENVY. 

Envy,  like  flame,  soars  upwards. 

THE  FAVOR   OF  GOD. 

The  issue  of  every  human  undertaking  depends 
chiefly  on  men's  acting  either  with  or  without  the 
favor  of  the  gods. 


LIVY.  279 

KINGS. 

Kings  being  not  only  free  from  every  kind  of 
impediment,  but  masters  of  circumstances  and  sea- 
sons, make  all  things  subservient  to  their  designs, 
themselves  uncontrolled  by  any. 

THE    GAULS. 

In  their  first  efforts  they  are  more  than  men,  yet 
in  their  last  they  are  less  than  women. 

THE  ASSAILANT. 

He  who  makes  the  attack  has  ever  more  confi-  \ 
dence  and  spirit  than  he  who  stands  on  the  def  en-  ' 
sive. 

DEPRESSING  THE   SUPERIOR. 

The  practice  of  depressing  the  merit  of  his  su- 
perior— a  practice  of  the  basest  nature,  and  which 
has  become  too  general,  in  consequence  of  the  fa- 
vorable success  so  often  attending  it. 

A   MILD   GOVERNMENT. 

A  mild  and  equitable  government  than  which 
there  is  no  stronger  bond  of  loyalty. 

A   GOOD   COMMANDER. 

To  a  good  commander  fortune  is  a  matter  of 
slight  moment;  wisdom  and  prudence  control  and 
govern  all  things. 

THE   FOOL. 

He  is  the  first  man,  in  point  of  abilities,  who  of 
himself  forms  good  counsels;  the  next  is  he  who 
submits  to  good  advice ;  he  who  can  neither  him- 
self form  good  counsels  nor  knows  how  to  comply 
with  those  of  another  is  of  the  very  lowest  capac- 
ity. 


280  LIVY. 

PLANS   OF    MEN. 

Men's  plans  ought  to  be  regulated  by  circum- 
stances, and  not  circumstances  by  their  plans. 

THE  FOOL. 
Fools  only  judge  by  events. 

TRUTH. 

It  is  commonly  said  that  truth  is  often  eclipsed, 
but  never  extinguished. 

Milton  ("The  Doctrine  and  Discipline  of  Divorce  ")  says: — 

"  Truth  is  as  impossible  to  be  soiled  by  any  outward  touch 
as  the  sunbeam." 

So  Acts  v.  39:  - 

"  If  this  work  be  of  God,  ye  cannot  overthrow  it,  lest  haply 
ye  be  found  even  to  fight  against  God." 

FAME. 

He  who  slights  fame  shall  enjoy  it  in  its  purity. 

HASTINESS. 

There  is  nothing  seen  clearly  and  certainly  by 
the  man  in  a  hurry;  hastiness  is  improvident  and 
blind. 

This  is  the  GreeK  proverb  (Zenob.  ii.  14): — 

"  The  fisherman  stung  will  gain  experience." 

This  proverb  arose  from  the  saying  of  a  fisherman,  who,  in 
his  over-anxiety  to  ascertain  the  contents  of  his  net,  got 
stung  from  the  stray  scorpion. 

EVIL. 

The  evil  with  which  men  are  best  acquainted  is 
the  most  tolerable. 

LIBERTY. 

The  words — liberty  restored — a  sound  ever  de- 
lightful to  the  ears. 


LIVY.  2S1 

GREAT   FORTUNE. 

It  is  easy  at  any  moment  to  resign  the  possession 
of  a  great  station;  to  arrive  at  and  acquire  it  is 
difficult  and  arduous. 

THE    POPULACE. 

Such  is  the  nature  of  the  populace;  they  are 
either  abject  slaves  or  tyrannic  masters.  Liberty, 
which  consists  in  a  mean  between  these,  they 
either  undervalue  or  know  not  how  to  enjoy  with 
moderation;  and  in  general  there  are  not  wanting 
agents  disposed  to  foment  their  passions,  who, 
working  on  minds  which  delight  in  cruelty,  and 
know  no  restraint  in  the*  practice  of  it,  exasperate 
them  to  acts  of  blood  and  slaughter. 

GOOD   MANAGEMENT. 

Many  things,  difficult  in  their  nature,  are  made 
easy  by  good  management. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Antiop.  31)  says: — 

"For  cities  and  households  are  well  managed  by  the  pru-    •, 
dence  of  man,  and  it  is  of  great  power  in  war,  for  one  wise     \  / 
counsel  is  superior  to  many  hands;  whereas  ignorance  with  a 
crowd  is  a  greater  evil." 

FOREBODING  OF   EVIL. 

A  melancholy  kind  of  silence  and  tacit  forebod- 
ing; such  a  presage  of  evil  as  the  mind  is  apt  to 
feel  when  looking  forward  with  anxiety. 

SPIRITED   COUNSELS.  . 

In  cases  of  difficulty  and  when  hopes  are  small,   \/ 
the  most  spirited  counsels  are  the  safest. 

REPUBLIC   OF   PHILOSOPHERS. 

A  republic  of  philosophers,  such  as  speculative    \ 


282  LIVY. 

men  are  fond   of    forming  in  imagination,  but 
which  was  never  known. 

GREAT  EVENTS   FKOM  TRIFLING  CIRCUMSTANCES. 

Events  of  great  consequence  spring  from  trifling 
circumstances. 

THE   GODS. 

To  the  gods  people  have  recourse  with  supplica- 
tions for  redress,  when  they  can  no  longer  endure 
the  violence  and  injustice  of  men. 

So  Psalm  cxlv.  18:— 

"  The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  Him,  to  all 
that  call  upon  Him  in  truth." 

SUPERSTITION. 

A  foolish  superstition  introduces  the  influence 
of  the  gods  even  in  the  smallest  matters. 

So  Romans  i.  21 : — 

"  They  became  vain  in  their  imaginations,  and  their  foolish 
heart  was  darkened." 

FEAR. 

Fear,  which  always  represents  objects  in  the 
worst  light. 

SLIGHT  INCIDENTS. 

Incidents  of  light  moment  frequently  impel 
men's  minds  to  hope  or  fear. 

FIDELITY  OF   BARBARIANS. 

The  fidelity  of  barbarians  depends  on  fortune. 

A  ROMAN   CITIZEN. 

By  a  severe  example  to  establish  it  as  a  maxim 
to  ah  future  ages,  that  no  Roman  citizen  or  sol- 
dier in  any  state  of  fortune  should  be  injured  with 
impunity. 


LIVY.  283 

PALLIATING  GUILT. 

Men's  minds  are  generally  ingenious  in  palliat- 
ing guilt  in  themselves. 

So  Luke  xiv.  18:— 

"  And  they  all  with  one  consent  began  to  make  excuse." 

WOUNDS. 

Wounds,  unless  they  are  touched  and  handled,  \J 
cannot  be  cured. 

A  MULTITUDE. 

*  Every  multitude,  like  the  sea,  is  incapable  of 
moving  itself ;  the  winds  and  gales  put  it  in  mo- 
tion. 

WICKEDNESS. 

No  wickedness  proceeds  on  any  ground  of  reason. 
So  Proverbs  xxix.  7:— 

"  The  wicked  regardeth  not  to  know  it." 

KASHNESS. 

Rashness  is  not  always  fortunate. 

IIYPOCKISY. 

Hypocrisy,  by  acquiring  a  foundation  of  credit 
in  smaller  matters,  prepares  for  itself  the  oppor- 
tunity of  deceiving  with  greater  advantage. 

THE  UNKNOWN. 

People's  apprehensions  are  greater  in  proportion 
as  things  are  unknown. 

FAULTS. 

Some  men's  natural  disposition  is  such  that  they 
rather  a  dislike  to  the  commission  of  faults 


2S4  LIVY. 

than  sufficient  resolution  to  punish  them  when 
committed. 

So  Matthew  xxvi.  41 : — 

"  The  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak." 

TEMPERANCE. 

He,  who  has  reined  in  and  curbed  his  pleasures 
by  temperance,  has  procured  for  himself  much 
greater  honor  and  a  greater  victory  than  when  he 
conquers  an  enemy. 

Genesis  iv.  7:— 

"If  thou  doestwell,  shalt  thou  not  be  accepted?  and  if  thou 
doest  not  well,  sin  lieth  at  tb.e  <loor." 

BENEFITS. 

Men  have  less  lively  sensations  of  good  than  of 
evil. 

GRATITUDE. 

So  deficient  are  men  in  gratitude,  even  at  the 
time  when  a  favor  is  received ;  and  much  less  are 
they  apt  to  retain  a  proper  sense  of  it  afterwards. 

THE  PAST. 

What  is  past,  however  it  may  be  blamed,  cannot 
be  retrieved. 

THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  HUMAN  EVENTS. 

He,  whom  fortune  has  never  deceived,  rarely 
considers  the  uncertainty  of  human  events. 

SOUND  JUDGMENT. 

If,  along  with  prosperity,  the  gods  would  grant 
us  a  sound  judgment,  we  ihouid  consider  not  only 
what  had  already  happened,  but  what  may  possi- 
bly happen  hereafter. 


LIVY.  285 

HIGH   FORTUNE. 

The  most  exalted  state  of  fortune  is  ever  the 
least  to  be  relied  on. 

WAR. 

Events  less  correspond  to  men's  expectations  in 
war  than  in  any  other  case  whatever. 

SOUND   JUDGMENT. 

Men  are  seldom  blessed  with  good  fortune  and  I/ 
a  good  understanding  at  the  same  time. 

GOOD   FORTUNE. 

Those,  who  are  unaccustomed  to  success,  unable 
to  restrain  their  transports,  run  into  extravagance. 

A    GREAT    STATE. 

No  great  .state  can  remain  long  at  rest.  If  it 
has  no  enemies  abroad,  it  finds  them  at  home :  as 
overgrown  bodies  seem  safe  from  external  injuries, 
but  suffer  grievous  inconveniences  from  their  own 
strength. 

MONEY. 

Nothing  stings  more  deeply  than  the  loss  of 
money. 

THE   MULTITUDE. 

Nothing  is  so  uncertain  or  so  difficult  to  form  a 
judgment  of,  as  the  minds  of  the  multitude.  The 
very  measures,  which  seem  calculated  to  increase' 
their  alacrity  in  exertions  of  every  sort,  often  in- 
spire them  with  fear  and  timidity. 

DEMAGOGUES. 

There  never  are  wanting  orators  who  are  ready 


288  LIVY. 

on  every  occasion  to  inflame  the  people — a  kind  of 
men  who,  in  all  free  states,  are  maintained  by  the 
favor  of  the  multitude. 


No  law  perfectly  suits  the  convenience  of  every 
member  of  the  community;  the  only  consideration 
is,  whether  upon  the  whole  it  be  profitable  to  the 
greater  part. 

AVABICE  AND  LUXUBY. 

Avarice  and  luxury,  those  pests  which  have  ever 
been  the  ruin  of  every  great  state. 

PASSIONS. 

As  diseases  must  necessarily  be  known  before 
their  remedies,  so  passions  come  into  being  before 
the  laws  which  prescribe  limits  to  them. 

POVERTY. 

Of  all  kinds  of  shame,  the  worst,  surely,  is  the 
being  ashamed  of  frugality  or  poverty. 


Be  assured  that  when  once  a  woman  begins  to  be 
ashamed  of  what  she  ought  not  to  be  ashamed  of, 
she  will  not  be  ashamed  of  what  she  ought. 

THE   WICKED. 

It  is  safer  that  a  wicked  man  should  never  be 
accused  than  that  he  should  be  acquitted. 

WOMAN. 

Elegance  of  appearance,  ornaments,  and  dress, — 
these  are  woman's  badges  of  distinction;  in  these 
they  delight  and  glory;  these  our  ancestors  called 
the  woman's  world. 


LIVY.  287 

APPEARANCES. 

In  many  cases  mere  appearances  have  all  the 
effect  of  realities,  and  a  person  under  a  firm  per- 
suasion that  he  can  command  resources,  virtually 
has  them;  that  very  prospect  inspiring  him  with 
hope  and  boldness  in  his  exertions. 

HONESTY  IS   THE   BEST   POLICY. 

//       ; 

What  is  most  honorable  is  likewise  safest. 

COURTIERS. 

The  ministers  in  the  courts  of  kings,  faithless 
in  other  respects,  are  particularly  so  in  regard  to 
the  concealing  of  secrets. 

LIBERTY. 

Liberty,  when  regulated  by  prudence,  is  pro- 
ductive of  happiness  both  to  individuals  and  to 
states;  but  when  pushed  to  excess,  it  becomes 
not  only  obnoxious  to  others,  but  precipitates  the 
possessors  of  it  themselves  into  dangerous  rash- 
ness and  extravagance. 

DISTINCTIONS   OF   RANKS. 

All  such  distinctions  as  tend  to  set  the  orders  of 
the  state  at  a  distance  from  each  other,  are  equally 
subversive  of  liberty  and  concord. 

ANCIENT   CUSTOMS. 

So  difficult  is  it  to  bring  people  to  approve  of 
any  alteration  of  ancient  customs :  they  are  always 
naturally  disposed  to  adhere  to  old  practices,  un- 
less experience  evidently  proves  their  inexpedi- 
ency. 


288  UVY. 

FAMILIARITY  BREEDS   CONTEMPT. 

Being  continually  in  people's  sight,  which  cir- 
cumstance, by  the  mere  satiety  which  it  creates, 
diminishes  the  reverence  felt  for  great  characters. 
Cowper  says: — 

"  The  man  that  hails  you  Tom  or  Jack, 
And  proves  by  thumps  upon  your  back, 

How  he  esteems  your  merit, 
Is  such  a  friend  that  one  had  need, 
Be  very  much  a  friend  indeed, 
To  pardon  or  to  bear  it." 

ADVENTUROUS    SCHEMES. 

Passionate  and  adventurous  schemes,  however 
flattering  at  first  views,  prove  difficult  in  the  exe- 
cution, and  disastrous  in  the  issue. 

ENVY. 

There  are  no  dispositions  more  prone  to  envy 
than  those  of  persons,  whose  mental  qualifications 
are  inferior  to  their  birth  and  rank  in  life;  such  al- 
ways harbor  an  antipathy  to  merit,  as  a  treasure 
in  which  they  cannot  share. 

So  Pindar  (.Fr.  Incert.  27)  says:— 

"  Envy  the  attendant  of  the  empty  mind," 

DEGENERACY. 

Everything  that  grows  in  its  own  natural  soil 
attains  the  greater  perfection ;  whatever  is  planted 
in  a  foreign  land,  by  a  gradual  change  in  its  na- 
ture, degenerates  into  a  similitude  to  that  which 
affords  its  nurture. 

ENVY. 

Envy  is  blind  and  cares  for  nothing  but  to  de- 
tract from  virtues,  to  debase  the  honorable  and 
take  from  their  rewards. 


LIVY.  289 

So  James  ill.  14:— 

"  But  if  ye  have  bitter  envying  and  strife  in  your  hearts, 
glory  not." 

FALSE  RELIGION. 

Nothing  is  more  apt  to  deceive  by  specious  ap-   , 
pearances  than  false  religion. 

So  2  Timothy  iii.  5:— 

"Having  a  form   of  godliness,  but   denying  the   power   < 
thereof:  from  such  turn  away." 

SUN. 

My  sun  has  not  yet  set. 

LIBERTY. 

For  no  favor  prochices  less  permanent  gratitude 
than  the  gift  of  liberty,  especially  among  people 
who  are  ready  to  make  a  bad  use  of  it. 

FRIENDSHIPS. 

It  is  a  common  saying,  and  because  founded  in 
truth,  has  become  a  proverb,  that  friendships 
ought  to  be  immortal,  but  enmities  mortal. 

A  PRUDENT   MAN. 

To  use  moderation  in  prosperity,  and  not  to  con- 
fide too  much  in  the  calm  of  present  circum- 
stances, is  the  part  of  a  man  of  prudence  who  de- 
served success. 

MODERATION. 

Assume  in  adversity  the  countenance  of  prosper-    ; 
ity,  and  in  prosperity  moderate  the  temper. 

VULGAR. 

The  foolish  passion  which  actuates  the  vulgar, 
even  in  contests  of  sport,  of  favoring  the  worse 
and  weaker  party. 
19 


290  LUC  AN. 

TBEACHEBY. 

In  general,  treachery,  though  at  first  sufficiently 
cautious,  yet  in  the  end  betrays  itself. 

MAN  OF  SPIKIT. 

He  alone  will  deserve  the  character  of  a  man, 
who  suffers  not  his  spirit  to  be  elated  by  the  fa- 
vorable gales  of  fortune,  nor  to  be  broken  by  its 
adverse  blasts. 

AEBOGANCE. 

Arrogance  creates  disgust  in  some  and  ridicule 
in  others,  more  especially  if  it  be  shown  by  an  in- 
ferior towards  a  superior. 


LUCAN. 

BOKX   ABOUT  A.D.  39  —  DIE0  A.D.  65. 


M.  AysjEus  LUCANTJS,  a  native  of  Cordova  in 
Spain,  was  the  son  of  L.  Annseus  Mella,  of  eques- 
trian rank,  who  had  amassed  a  large  fortune  by 
farming  the  imperial  revenues.  The  poetical  tal- 
ents of  Lucan  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Em- 
peror'Jfero,  who  became  so  jealous  of  his  rising 
reputation  that  he  forbade  him  to  recite  in  public. 
Lucan,  annoyed  at  this  unjust  proceeding,  entered 
into  the  famous  conspiracy  of  Piso,  but  was  be- 
trayed. Under  promise  of  pardon,  he  was  in- 
duced to  turn  informer,  denouncing  even  his  own 
mother,  and  then  the  rest  of  his  accomplices.  He 
received  a  most  just  reward.  When  the  whole  in- 
formation had  been  got  from  him,  the  emperor 


LUC  AN.  291 

issued  his  order  that  he  should  die;  and,  finding 
escape  to  be  hopeless,  he  caused  his  veins  to  be 
opened  in  a  warm  bath.  Finding  himself  to  be 
dying,  though  still  retaining  consciousness,  he  re- 
called to  recollection  and  began  to  repeat  aloud 
some  verses  which  he  had  once  composed  descrip- 
tive of  a  wounded  soldier,  perishing  by  a  like 
•death,  and  with  these  lines  upon  his  lips  he  ex- 
pired A.D.  65.  The  only  extant  production  of 
Lucan  is  an  heroic  poem  in  ten  books,  entitled 
"  Pharsalia,"  in  which  the  wars  between  Caesar 
and  Pompey  are  fully  detailed,  beginning  with 
the  passage  of  the  Rubicon. 

PROSPERITY  IS   OF  SHORT   DURATION". 

The  envious  malice  of  the  Fates,  the  refusal  to 
allow  what  is  great  to  be  of  long  duration,  the 
sinking  beneath  too  gi-eat  a  weight,  and  Rome  un- 
able to  support  herself,  were  the  causes  that  drove 
peace  from  the  world. 

LIMITS   TO   HUMAN   POWER. 

Mighty  things  haste  to  destruction  of  them- 
selves; this  is  the  limit  that  the  gods  have  as- 
signed to  human  prosperity. 

NO   FRIENDSHIP   IN   HIGH  POWER. 

There  is  no  friendship  between  those  who  are 
associated  in  high  power;  and  he  who  rules  will 
ever  be  impatient  of  a  partner. 

RIVALRY. 

Emulation  adds  its  spur. 

CATO. 

Which  of  the  two  had  the  more  righteous  cause, 
it  is  hard  to  say;  each  defends  itself  under  mighty 


292  LUC  AN. 

names;  the  conquering  cause  was,  no  doubt,  the 
favorite  of  the  gods,  but  the  conquered  of  Cato. 

THE  SHADOW  OF   A  NAME. 

There  stands  the  shadow  of  a  glorious  name. 

CJESAK. 

But  in  Caesar  there  was  not  merely  the  past  re- 
nown and  fame  of  a  general,  but  a  valor  that  was 
ever  restless;  and  the  only  time  that  ablush  man- 
tled his  cheek  was  when  he  failed  in  some  war- 
like exploit.  Fierce  and  undaunted,  he  was  ready 
to  advance  whither  hope  and  vengeance  led  him, 
never  hesitating  to  flesh  his  sword  in  blood :  mak- 
ing a  good  use  of  his  advantages,  he  still  relied  on 
the  favor  of  heaven;  bearing  down  whatever  op- 
posed him  in  his  road  to  glory,  he  rejoiced  to  make 
his  way  amidst  the  ruin  of  all  around  him. 

MIGHT  MAKES  KIGHT. 

Might  was  the  measure  of  right. 


Hence  devouring  usury,  and  interest  ready  to 
be  called  for  at  the  moment  due,  and  shaken  credit 
and  warfare  profitable  to  the  multitude  .who  have 
nothing  to  lose. 

ONE   WHO   HAD   CHANGED   HIS   OPINIONS. 

The  unblushing  Curio,  with  his  venal  tongue, 
accompanies  them — a  voice  that  once  spoke  on  the 
side  of  freedom,  and  that  dared  to  defend  the 
cause  of  liberty  and  to  place  armed  aristocrats  on 
the  same  level  with  the  lower  classes. 


LUC  AN.  293 

DELAY. 

Away  with  delay;  it  hath  always  injured  those 
who  are  inclined  to  procrastinate. 

JUST  THINGS. 

He  who  refuses  what  is  right,  gives  up  every- 
thing to  him  who  has  arms  in  his  hands. 

TRANSMIGRATION    OF   SOULS. 

On  your  (i.e.,  Druids)  authority  the  spirits  of 
the  dead  do  not  proceed  to  the  silent  abodes  of 
Erebus  and  the  dreary  realms  of  Pluto  in  the 
depths  below;  the  same  spirit  directs  other  limbs 
in  another  world;  death  is  the  mid-point  of  a 
lengthened  existence,  if  your  songs  speak  the 
truth.  Happy  indeed  are  those  people  on  whom 
the  Northern  Bear  looks  down  in  their  error,  whom 
this,  the  very  greatest  of  terrors,  does  not  move — 
the  fear  of  death.  Hence  those  manly  spirits  are 
ever  ready  to  rush  undaunted  on  the  pointed  steel, 
and  souls  that  welcome  death,  bravely  scorning 
to  spare  that  life  that  must  so  soon  return. 

IMAGINED   ILLS. 

Thus  every  one  by  his  fears  gives  increased 
strength  to  rumors,  and  though  there  be  no  real 
cause  for  alarm,  they  fear  fancied  ills. 

CHANGEABLENESS    OF   FORTUNE. 

Ye  gods,  ready  to  grant  the  highest  prosperity,  ^ 
and  slow  to  preserve  it! 


The  very  frenzy  of  their  madness  hurries  them 
on,  and  it  seemed  mere  idleness  to  be  looking  for 
the  guilty. 


\t 


294  LUC  AN. 

LIFE  OF  VICISSITUDE. 

This  was  the  closing  scene  of  the  life  of  Marius, 
who  had  endured  all  things  which  the  most  ad- 
verse fortune  could  inflict,  and  who  had  enjoyed 
every  happiness  which  prosperity  could  bestow. 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1094,  M.)  says:— 

"  The  life  of  man  is  full  of  vicissitude." 

VIRTUE. 

Virtue,  accompanied  with  a  clear  conscience, 
will  follow  whither  the  fates  lead. 

CATO. 

These  were  the  stern  habits  of  the  man,  this  was 
the  rigid  rule  of  the  unbending  Cato,  to  observe 
the  golden  mean,  to  keep  the  purposed  end  in 
view,  to  follow  nature's  laws,  to  be  ready  to  die 
in  his  country's  cause,  to  regard  himself  born  not 
for  his  own  selfish  enjoyments  but  for  the  benefit 
of  the  whole  world.  To  repress  hunger  was  a 
banquet,  to  keep  away  by  a  mere  roof  the  winter 
cold  was  regarded  as  a  noble  palace;  to  wrap  a 
shaggy  toga  round  his  limbs,  after  the  manner  of 
the  early  Romans,  was  a  costly  robe. 

C^ESAB. 

But  Csesar,  precipitate  in  everything,  thinking 
nothing  done  while  anything  remained  to  be  done. 

HOW   TO   GAIX   POPULAR    FAVOK. 

Thus  did  he  drive  from  his  breast  all  thoughts 
of  war  and  anxiously  revolve  the  arts  of  peace, 
how  he  might  purchase  the  fickle  attachment  of 
the  populace,  well  aware  that  the  cause  of  anger 
and  the  highest  favor  depend  on  supplies  of  food. 
For  it  is  famine  alone  that  confers  freedom  on 


LUC  AN,  295 

cities,  and  respect  is  bought  when  the  nobles  are    if 
feeding  the  lazy  rabble.     A  starving  commonality 
knows  no  fear. 

DESPOTISM. 

The  liberty  of  a  people,  ruled  by  a  despot,  per- 
ishes by  excess  of  liberty;  of  it  thou  mayst  pre- 
serve the  shadow,  if  thou  art  willing  to  do  what- 
ever thou  art  commanded. 

HEROISM. 

Oh!  how  noble  it  is  for  this  race  to  hasten  their 
fate  by  their  own  hands,  and  though  full  of  life  to 
give  what  remains  of  it  to  the  gods. 

CONCORD. 

Now  approach,  O  Concord,  that  encirclest  all 
things  in  thine  everlasting  embrace ;  O  thou  life 
of  the  world,  who  joinest  in  harmonious  peace 
the  jarring  elements,  thou  divine  principle  shed- 
ding love  over  the  universe. 

NATURE    REQUIRES   LITTLE. 

Dearn  on  how  little  man  may  live,  and  what  a    / 
small  portion  of  food  nature  requires. 

So  Philippiana  (iv.  11): — 

"For  I  have  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therewith  to 
be  content." 

THE     BRAVE. 

Life  may  seem  short,  but  it  is  not  so  to  any  who 
have  sufficient  time  remaining  to  look  out  for  their 
mode  of  dying:  we  shall  die  with  as  much  honor, 
though  death  comes  to  seek  us,  as  if  we  had  gone 
to  meet  it.  In  the  darkness  and  uncertainty  of 
man's  doom,  your  high  spirit  is  equally  shown 


296  LUC  AN. 

whether  you  sacrifice  years  or  a  moment  of  your 
future  existence,  provided  you  do  it  by  your  own 
choice.  To  choose  death  is  the  characteristic  of 
the  brave. 

FEAR. 

By  daring,  great  fears  are  concealed. 

"  The  dog  that  means  to  bite  don't  bark." 

A  MULTITUDE    UNPUNISHED. 

All  go  free,  when  multitudes  offend. 

CKIME. 

Guilt  equal,  gives  equality  of  state. 

THE  VULGAR  AND  THE  GREAT. 

Do  you  suppose  that  you  have  imparted  strength 
to  me  ?  Heaven  never  lowers  itself  to  occupy  it- 
self about  you,  or  to  think  of  your  death  or 
safety.  Everything  follows  the  will  of  the  lordly 
great.  The  human  race  lives  at  the  beck  of  a 
few. 

POVERTY. 

Oh,  the  safety  of  a  poor  man's  life  and  his 
humble  home!  Oh,  these  are  gifts  bestowed  by 
heaven,  though  seldom  understood!  What  tem- 
ples or  what  cities  would  not  feel  alarm  with 
dreadful  forebodings  if  Caesar  knocked  at  their 
door  with  his  armed  bands! 

Dante  (."  Paradise,"  xi.  67)  refers  to  this  when  he  says:— 
"  Nor  aught  availed,  that,  with  Amyclas,  she 
Was  found  unmoved,  at  rumor  of  his  voice, 
Who  shook  the  world." 


LUC  AN.  297 

SOUNDS. 

Her  gabbling  tongue  a  muttering  tone  confounds 
Discordant,  and  unlike  to  human  sounds . 
It  seem'd  of  dogs  the  bark,  of  wolves  the  howl, 
The  doleful  screeching    of  the  midnight  owl; 
The  hiss  of  snakes,  the  hungry  lion's  roar, 
The  bound  of  billows  beating  on  the  shore : 
The  groan  of  winds  among  the  leafy  wood 
And  burst  of  thunder  from  the  rending  cloud : 
'Twas  these,  all  these  in  one. 

THE  CHIEFTAINS   FIGHT    ONLY    FOR  THEIR   PLACE 
OF  BURIAL. 

The  chieftains  contend  only  for  their  place  of 
burial. 

So  Gray  in  "  Elegy  "  :— 

"  The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

THE   BRAVE    MAlf 

The  very  fear  of  an  impending  misfortune  has 
driven  many  a  coward  to  dare  the  utmost  danger. 
That  man  is  truly  brave  who,  prepared  to  meet 
every  extremity,  if  it  is  close  at  hand,  is  also  able 
to  wait  coolly  for  its  approach. 

AVAR. 

Neither  side  is  guiltless,  if  its  adversary  is  ap-  I  / 
pointed  judge.  ' 

THE   PROSPEROUS. 

While  a  man  enjoys  prosperity,  he  knows  not 
whether  he  is  beloved. 

THE  WORLD'S  CONFLAGRATION. 

These  nations,  Ca3sar,  if  the  fire  does  not  devour 
them,  with  the  earth  it  will  consume,  with  the 


298  .LUC  AN. 

waters  of  the  deep  it  will  consume.  One  common 
pile  remains  for  the  world,  destined  to  mingle  the 
stars  with  its  bones.  Whithersoever  Fortune 
shall  summon  thee,  thither  these  souls  also  are 
wending.  Thou  shalt  not  rise  higher  into  the  air 
than  these,  nor  in  a  more  favored  spot  shalt  thou 
lie  beneath  the  Stygian  night.  Death  is  secure 
from  Fortune-.  The  earth  receives  everything 
which  she  has  produced!  he  who  has  no  urn  is 
covered  by  the  heavens. 

TIME. 

Thus  does  a  life  too  lengthened  bring  sorrow  to 
mighty  souls  when  loss  of  empire  comes  with 
length  of  days.  Unless  our  own  end  and  that  of 
our  blessings  be  at  the  same  moment,  and  our 
sorrows  be  anticipated  by  speedy  death,  our 
former  happiness  adds  strength  to  our  grief. 
Does  any  one  dare  to  trust  himself  to  prosperity, 
if  he  possess  not  a  heart  prepared  for  death  ? 

NORTHERN  NATIONS. 

In  cold  laborious  climes  the  wint'ry  north 
Brings  her  undaunted  hardy  warriors  forth, 
In  body  and  in  mind  untaught  to  yield, 
Stubborn  of  soul  and  steady  in  the  field; 
While  Asia's  softer  climate,  form'd  to  please, 
Dissolves  her  so.ns  in  insolence  and  ease. 

SELF-INTEREST  AND  INTEGRITY. 

As  far  as  the  stars  are  from  the  earth,  and  as 
different  as  fire  is  from  water,  so  much  do  self-in- 
terest and  integrity  differ. 

A  COUBT   LIFE. 

Let  him  who  wishes  to  lead  a  virtuous  life  es- 
chew courts.  Goodness  and  supreme  power  do 


LUC  AN.  299 

not  agree  together.  The  man  who  is  ashamed  to 
commit  cruel  acts,  will  always  have  cause  to 
fear. 

THE   UNFORTUNATE. 

It  is  not  becoming  to  turn  from  friends  in  ad- 
versity, but  then  it  is  for  those  who  have  basked 
in  the  sunshine  of  their  prosperity  to  adhere  to 
them.  No  one  was  ever  so  foolish  as  to  select  the 
unfortunate  for  their  friends. 

THE    SOUL    OF   THE    GOOD    LEAPS    UP    TO   HEAVEN 
AT   DEATH. 

But  his  soul  was  not  laid  in  ashes  at  Pharos, 
nor  could  a  little  heap  of  dust  contain  so  great  a 
shade;  it  leapt  from  the  pyre,  and  leaving  the 
mass  of  half-burnt  bone,  sprung  towards  the 
vaulted  throne  of  the  Thunderer.  Where  the 
murky  air  meets  the  starry  circles,  midway  be- 
tween our  earth  and  the  orbit  of  the  moon,  there 
dwell  the  sainted  Manes,  whom,  innocent  in  life, 
fiery  virtue  directed  to  the  lower  abode  of  God, 
and  gathered  in  eternal  mansions.  Those  laid  in 
gold  and  perfumes  do  not  come  hither.  After  he 
had  feasted  himself  on  the  pure  light,  and  ad- 
mired the  wandering  planets  and  pole-iixed  stars, 
he  beheld  the  mist  of  darkness  that  enfolds  our 
brightest  days,  and  mocked  the  farce  called  death, 
in  which  his  own  maimed  body  lay. 

AN   ILLUSTKIOUS   NAMK. 

A  name  illustrious  and  revered  by  nations.  ' 

DEATH. 

Free  death  is  man's  first  bliss,  the  next  is  to  be  U 
slain. 


300  LUCRETIUS. 

GOD. 

We  are  all  dependent  on  God,  and  even  when 
His  temples  sound  not  His  praise,  we  are  able  to 
do  nothing  without  His  will:  neither  does  the 
divinity  require  words  to  express  His  commands; 
the  Almighty  has  told  us  once  for  all  at  our  birth 
whatever  is  allowed  us  to  know;  nor  has  He  con- 
fined His  knowledge  to  the  barren  Libyan  sands 
to  teach  the  sparse  inhabitants  around,  uor  has 
He  drowned  His  truths  amidst  desert  wilds. 
Does  God  choose  for  His  abode  any  spot  except 
this  earth,  sea,  air,  and  heaven,  and,  above  all, 
virtuous  minds  ?  Why  seek  for  God  elsewhere  ? 
God  is  in  everything  thou  seest,  and  wherever 
thou  movest.  Let  doubting  mortals  consult  jug- 
gling priests,  and  those  who  ever  live  in  fear  and 
anxiety.  It  is  not  oracles,  but  the  certainty  of 
death  that  gives  firmness  to  my  mind.  The 
coward  and  the  brave  are  doomed  to  fall;  it  is 
enough  that  God  lias  told  us  this  undoubted 
truth. 

THE  POET'S  POWERS. 

O  divine  and  mighty  power  of  Poesy,  thou  res- 
cuest  all  things  from  the  grasp  of  death,  and  bid- 
dest  the  mortal  hero  securely  live  to  all  time. 


LUCRETIUS. 

BORX  J3.C.   95 — DIED  B.C.   52. 

T.  LUCRETIUS  CARUS,  a  celebrated  Roman  poet, 
respecting  whose  personal  history  very  scanty 
materials  have  come  down  to  us.  The  Eusebian 


LUCRETIUS.  301 

chronicle  fixes  his  birth  B.C.  95,  and  adds  that  he 
was  driven  mad  by  a  love  potion,  composing  dur- 
ing his  lucid  intervals  works  which  were  revised 
by  Cicero.  It  is  supposed  that  his  poem  De 
Rerum  Naturu,  was  given  to  the  world  B.C.  57, 
when  the  machinations  of  Clodius  were  disturb- 
ing the  Roman  state.  It  is  a  philosophical  didac- 
tic poem,  composed  in  heroic  hexameters,  divided 
into  six  books,  containing  upwards  of  7400  lines, 
and  is  addressed  to  C.  Memmius  Gemellus,  who 
was  praetor  B.C.  58.  It  gives  a  complete  exposi- 
tion of  the  religious,  moral,  and  physical  doctrines 
of  Epicurus. 


All-bounteous  Venus,  parent  of  Rome,  joy  of 
men  and  gods,  who  imder  the  starry  girdle  of  the 
heaven  makest  the  ship-bearing  sea  and  fruitful 
earth  to  teem  with  living  creatures,  to  thee  all 
owe  their  birth,  and  springing  forth  enjoy  the  en- 
livening light  of  day ;  the  winds  are  hushed  and 
the  clouds  ,of  heaven  disperse  at  thy  approach; 
the  earth  with  various  art  puts  forth  her  scented 
flowers  to  welcome  thee;  the  waters  of  the  ocean 
laugh,  and  the  serene  sky  assumes  its  brightest 
hue,  as  the  rays  of  light  are  diffused  around. 

Spenser  ("  Faerie  Queen,"  iv.  c.  x.  44)  seems  thus  to  trans- 
late this  passage  :— 

"  Great  Venus !  queene  of  Beautie  and  of  Grace, 
The  ioy  of  gods  and  men,  that  under  skie, 
Doest  fayrest  shine,  and  most  adorn  thy  place; 
That  with  thy  smiling  look  doest  pacific 
The  raging  seas,  and  mak'st  the  stormes  to  flie, 
Thee,  goddesse,  thee  the  winds,  the  clouds  do  f eare ; 
And  when  thou  spred'st  thy  mantle  forth  on  hie, 
The  waters  play  and  pleasant  lands  appeare, 
And  heavens  laugh,  and  all  the  world  shews  ioyous  cbeare. " 


302  LUCRETIUS. 

SUPERSTITION. 

While  men  lay  with  slavish  fear  prostrate  on 
earth,  weighed  down  by  abject  superstition,  which 
took  its  rise  from  heavenly  contemplations,  threat- 
ening mortals  with  horrid  mien,  then  at  length  a 
Greek  (Epicurus)  first  dared  to  lift  the  veil  from 
the  eyes  of  man  and  assert  his  natural  liberty. 

RELIGIOUS  BIGOTRY  THE  CAUSE  OF   MANY  EVILS. 

So  much  mischief  was  superstitious  bigotry  able 
to  accomplish. 

NATURE  OF  THE   SOUL. 

For  it  is  unknown  what  is  the  real  nature  of  the 
soul,  whether  it  be  born  with  the  bodily  frame  or 
be  infused  at  the  moment  of  birth,  whether  it  per- 
ishes along  with  us,  when  death  separates  the  soul 
and  body,  or  whether  it  visits  the  shades  of  Pluto 
and  bottomless  pits,  or  enters  by  divine  appoint- 
ment into  other  animals. 

NO  ANNIHILATION. 

Besides  nature  resolves  everything  into  its  com- 
ponent elements,  but  annihilates  nothing;  for  if 
the   substances  of  bodies  could  die,  they  woul 
suddenly  vanish  from  our  sight. 

DEATH  EASILY  CAUSED. 

For  certainly  one  single  touch  would  be  the 
stroke  of  fate. 

STORM  OF  WIND. 

In  the  first  place,  the  fierce  fury  of  the  wind 
ploughing  up  the  sea,  tears  to  pieces  the  stoutest 
ships,  and  drives  the  clouds  before  it;  sometimes 
rushing  on  with  rapid  course,  it  strews  the  plains 


LUCRETIUS.  303 

with  lofty  trees,  beats  the  highest  mountains  with 
wood-destroying  blasts;  with  such  thundering 
noise  and  wild  roaring  does  the  sea  rage. 

EFFECTS   OF   TIME. 

Nay  more,  in  the  revolution  of  many  years,  the 
ring  on  the  finger  grows  less  and  less  by  constant 
use:  the  drop  hollows  the  stone;  the  crooked  iron 
ploughshare  wears  away  unnoticed  in  the  fields: 
we  see  the  paved  streets  scooped  out  by  treading: 
the  brazen  figures  that  adorn  our  doors  show  their 
hands  diminished  by  the  touch  of  those  that  visit 
or  pass  by. 

Crater  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  i.  p.  85,  M.)  says:— 
"For time  has  bent  me  downwards,  a  cunning  craftsman 
no  doubt,  but  making  all  things  weaker." 

THE   SENSES. 

What  can  give  us  more  sure  knowledge  than  our 
senses  ?  With  what  else  can  we  more  surely  dis- 
tinguish the  true  and  false  ? 

FANCY. 

Touching  everything  lightly  with  the  charm  of 
poetry. 

PHYSICIANS. 

But  as  physicians,  in  giving  children  bitter 
draughts,  to  make  them  take  it,  tinge  the  edges  of 
the  cup  with  the  sweet  flavor  of  yellow  honey, 
that  the  thoughtless  child  may  be  cheated  by  the 
lip,  and  then  be  led  on  to  drink  off  tbe  nauseous 
mixture,  and  being  thus  harmlessly  deceived,  may 
not  be  caught  for  ill,  but  rather,  refreshed  by  this 
proceeding,  become  convalescent. 


304  LUCEETIUS. 

PHILOSOPHY. 

'Tis  sweet,  when  the  seas  are  roughened  by  vio- 
lent winds,  to  view  on  land  the  toils  of  others,  not 
that  there  is  pleasure  in  seeing  others  in  distress, 
1  ut  because  man  is  glad  to  know  himself  secure. 
'Tis  pleasant,  too,  to  look,  with  no  share  of  peril, 
on  the  mighty  contests  of  war;  but  nothing  is 
sweeter  than  to  reach  those  calm,  unruffled  tem- 
ples, raised  by  the  wisdom  of  philosophers,  whence 
them  mayest  look  down  on  poor  mistaken  mortals, 
wandering  up  and  down  in  life's  devious  ways, 
some  resting  their  fame  on  genius,  or  priding 
themselves  on  birth,  day  and  night  toiling  anx- 
iously to  rise  to  high  fortune  and  sovereign  power. 

Archippus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  413,  M.)  says:— 
"  How  pleasant  it  is,  O  mother,  to  see  the  sea  from  the  land, 
sailing  nowhere." 
Milton  (''jComus,''  1.  4S4)  thusspeaks  of  philosophy: — 

"  How  charming  is  divine  Philosophy! 
Not  harsh  and  crabb'd,  as  dull  fools  suppose; 
But  musical  as  is  Apollo's  lute, 
And  a  perpetual  feast  of  nectar  d  sweets, 
Where  no  rude  surfeit  reigns.'1 

"  YEA,  ALL  WHICH  IT  INHERIT  SHALL  DISSOLVE." 

Lest,  with  the  speed  of  lightning,  the  fabric  of 
this  world  loosened  should  suddenly  vanish  into 
the  vast  void,  and  everything  else  follow  in  the 
same  way;  lest  the  innermost  temples  of  heaven 
should  rush  down  from  aloft,  and  the  earth  quickly 
withdraw  itself  from  beneath  our  feet;  and  amidst 
the  mingled  ruins  of  heaven,  and  all  things  loos- 
ened from  their  hold  disappear  through  the  deep 
void,  so  that  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  nothing 
should  remain  except  empty  space  and  undevel- 
oped elements. 


LUCRETIUS.  306 

So  Shakespeare  ("  Tempest,''  act  iv.): — 
"  These,    ...    as  I  foretold  you,    .    .    , 
Are  melted  into  air,  into  thin  air: 
And,  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  this  vision, 
The  cloud-capp'd  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces, 
The  solemn  temples,  the  great  globe  itself, 
Yea,  all  which  it  inherit,  shall  dissolve: 
And,  like  this  insubstantial  pageant  faded, 
Leave  not  a  rack  behind." 

BLINDNESS  OF  MAN. 

O  misery  of  men!  O  blinded  fools!  in  what  dark 
mazes,  in  what  dangers  we  walk  this  little  journey 
of  our  life ! 

This  reminds  us  of  whatJDante  ("  Paradise,"  xi.  1)  says  of 
man: — 

"  Oh  vain  anxiety  of  mortal  men: 
How  vain  and  inconclusive  arguments 
Are  those,  which  make  thee  beat  thy- wings  below, 
For  statutes  one,  and  one  for  aphorisms 
Was  hunting:  this  the  priesthood  followed;  that, 
By  force  or  sophistry,  aspired  to  rule; 
To  rob  another;  and  another  sought, 
By  civil  business,  wealth;  one,  moiling,  lay 
Tangled  in  net  of  sensual  delight; 
And  one  to  witless  indolence  resign'd." 

So  Hebrews  iii.  10: — 

"  They  do  always  err  in  their  heart." 


HONOR,      WEALTH,    AND    NOBILITY    DO    THE    MIND 
NO   GOOD. 

The  heat  of  a  fever  is  not  more  easily  got  rid  of, 
if  thou  art  tossing  on  the  red  purple  of  embroid- 
ered coverings,  than  if  thou  wert  reclining  on  the 
coarse  cloth  of  the  poor.  Wherefore,  since  neither 
treasures,  nor  high  rank,  nor  sovereign  power  avail 
our  diseased  body,  it  is  certain  that  they  will  do 
no  good  to  our  mind. 
20 


306  LUCRETIUS. 

CAKES. 

In  reality  the  alarms  and  cares  that  nestle  in  the 
breast  of  man  are  not  dispersed  by  the  noise  and 
fierce  contest  of  war;  they  boldly  take  up  their 
abode  in  the  breast  of  kings  and  the  powerful  of  the 
earth,  nor  are  they  put  to  flight  by  the  glistening  of 
gold  nor  the  gay  sparklings  of  the  purple  dye. 

NATIONS. 

One  nation  rises  to  supreme  power  in  the  world, 
\v!iile  another  declines,  and  in  a  brief  space  of 
time  the  sovereign  people  change,  transmitting, 
like  racers,  the  lamp  of  life  to  some  other  that  is 
to  succeed  them. 

DANGERS  OF  THE  SEA. 

But  as  midst  numerous  wrecks  the  vast  sea  is 
usually  scattered  over  with  remnants  of  the  vessels, 
seats,  yards,  prows,  masts,  and  oars,  so  that  along 
the  shore  may  be  seen  many  ship-ornaments,  warn- 
ing mortals  to  shun  the  fury  and  ciuel  treachery 
of  the  deep,  and  to  put  no  faith  in  the  deceitful 
smile  of  the  placid  ocean. 

Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  iv.  164)  says: — 

"  Many  a  league 

Cheef'd  with  the  grateful  smell  old  ocean  smiles." 
And  Keble:— 

"  The  many  twinkling  smile  of  ocean."  , 

THE  MISERIES   OF   LIFE. 

Death  is  accompanied  with  wailing,  which  babes 
raise  the  moment  they  enter  on  the  threshold  of 
life;  no  night  follows  day,  and  no  morning  has 
ever  dawned  that  has  not  heard  the  moanings  of 
the  sick,  with  the  screams  of  the  <;hild,  attendants 
on  death  and  the  grave. 


LUCRETIUS.  SOT 

Thus  a  fragment  of  Empedocles  ("  De  Natura1')  says: — 
"  Short-lived  mortals  enduring  a  brief  space  of  miserable 
existence,  raised  aloft  like  smoke,  fly  away,  impelled  only  by 
that  is  near  them,  spinning  hither  and  thither,— get  a  thou- 
sand glimpses  but  never  see  a  whole,  '  things  that  eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ears  heard,  nor  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man 
to  conceive.'" 

HEAVENLY   OUIGIN   OF   ALL   THINGS. 

In  short,  we  are  all  sprung  from  heavenly  seeds; 
we  have  all  one  common  father,  from  whom,  when 
the  bounteous  earth  has  received  the  liquid  drops 
of  moisture,  becoming  fruitful,  she  brings  forth 
the  blooming  grain,  the  joyous  woods,  and  human 
race,  all  kinds  of  wild  beasts,  while  she  furnishes 
food  to  support  their  bodies,  prolong  their  lives, 
and  propagate  their  species. 

DUST  TO   DUST. 

What  came  from  the  earth  returns  back  to  the 
earth,  and  the  spirit  that  was  sent  from  heaven, 
again  carried  back,  is  received  into  the  temple  of 
heaven. 

NEW  OPINIONS. 

Examine  with  judgment  each  opinion :  if  it  seems 
true,  embrace  it;  if  false,  gird  up  the  loins  of  thy 
mind  to  withstand  it. 

THE  GODS. 

For,  O  holy  and  pure  gods,  dwelling  in  undis- 
turbed and  everlasting  ease,  who  is  there  that  is 
able  to  rule  this  vast  all,  and  to  hold  in  his  hands 
the  reins  of  the  immensity  of  space?  Who  is  able 
to  guide  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  and 
to  furnish  the  fruit-bearing  earth  with  ethereal 
heat,  or  to  be  every  moment  in  every  place,  to 
cause  darkness  with  the  clouds  and  shake  the  se- 


308  LUCRETIUS. 

rene  heaven  with  thunders,  darting  lightning  and 
beating  down  their  own  temples:  or  else  in  vast 
deserts  brandishing  his  bolts,  which  often  pass 
over  the  guilty  and  strike  the  just  and  good. 


The  gods  and  their  tranquil  abodes  appear, 
which  no  winds  disturb  nor  clouds  bedew  with 
showers,  nor  does  the  white  snow,  hardened  by 
frost,  annoy  them;  the  heaven,  always  pure,  is 
without  clouds,  and  smiles  with  pleasant  light 
diffused. 

So  Homer  (Odyss.  vi.  41)  says:— 

"  Olympus,  where,  they  say,  is  ever  the  tranquil  abode  of 
the  gods,  never  shaken  by  winds,  nor  wet  by  showers,  nor 
covered  by  snow,  but  the  sky  is  ever  cloudless,  and  a  bright 
glory  overspreads  it." 
Tennyson ("  Morte  d'  Arthur  ")  says: — 

"  Where  falls  not  hail  or  rain  or  any  snow, 
'  Nor  ever  wind  blows  loudly." 

THE  DREAD  OF  WHAT  COMES  AFTER  DEATH. 

That  dreadful  fear  of  hell  is  to  be  driven  out, 
which  disturbs  the  life  of  man  and  renders  it  mis- 
erable, overcasting  all  things  with  the  blackness 
of  darkness,  and  leaving  no  pure,  unalloyed  pleas- 
ure. 

THE   MASK   TORN   OFF,   THE   TRUTH   REMAINS. 

The  mask  is  torn  off,  and  then  the  reality  is  seen. 

RESULTS   OF   AMBITION. 

In  short,  avarice  and  blind  ambition,  which 
force  wretched  men  to  overleap  the  line  of  justice, 
and  sometimes,  as  the  associates  and  servants  of 
the  wicked,  to  climb  night  and  day  with  unwearied 
steps  towards  wealth  and  power;  these  great  blots 
of  our  life  are  chiefly  caused  by  the  fear  of  death. 


LUCRETIUS.  309 

For  the  proud  man's  contumely,  "  the  slings  and 
arrows  of  outrageous  fortune,"  seem  as  far  as  pos- 
sible removed  from  the  pleasures  and  delights  of 
life — nay,  to  be  at  the  very  gates  of  death.  From 
which,  while  men,  stirred  by  senseless  fears,  strive 
to  fly  and  get  to  the  greatest  distance,  they  employ 
their'time  in  amassing  wealth  by  civil  commotions 
and  greedily  double  their  vast  store,  heaping  death 
on  death,  with  cruel  joy  laughing  over  their 
brother's  grave;  hating  and  dreading  their  nearest 
kinsman's  feasts. 

Spenser  in  his  "  Faerie  Queen  "  (v.  12,  1)  thus  expresses  him- 
self:— 

"  Oh  sacred  hunger  of  ambitious  minds, 
And  impotent  desire  of  men  to  reign! 
Whom  neither  dread  of  God,  that  devils  binds, 
Nor  laws  of  men,  that  commonweals  contain, 
Nor  bands  of  nature,  that  wild  beasts  restrain, 
Can  keep  from  outrage  and  from  doing  wrong, 
Where  they  may  hope  a  kingdom  to  obtain : 
No  faith  so  firm,  no  trust  can  be  so  strong, 
No  love  so  lasting  then,  that  may  endure  long." 

MEN   TIMID   AS   CIIILDBEN   IN   THE   DARK. 

For  as  children  tremble  and  dread  everything 
in  the  darkness  of  night,  so  we  sometimes  are 
frightened  in  broad  daylight  by  things  which  are 
no  more  to  be  feared  than  what  children  fear  and 
imagine  are  going  to  happen. 

VARIETIES   IN   MANKIND. 

So  men's  minds  differ  too;  though  a  liberal  edu- 
cation may  reform  and  polish,  yet  it  still  leaves 
some  traces  of  the  primitive  seeds  implanted  by 
nature  ;  nor  must  we  expect  all  man's  evil  passions 
can  be  eradicated,  but  each  will  show  his  original 
bent,  some  being  prone  to  rage,  others  to  despond- 
ency, and  a  third  will  bo  more  submissive  to 


310  LUCRETIUS. 

wrong  than  is  right;  in  a  thousand  other  ways  the 
characters  and  dispositions  of  men  differ,  whose 
secret  causes  I  am  unable  to  explain,  nor  yet  find 
out  the  names  of  those  original  principles  whence 
all  this  variety  takes  its  rise. 

DECAY  OF  THE  MIND. 

With  the  body  we  plainly  perceive  that  the 
mind  strengthens  and  decays. 

DEATH  OF   A  FATHER. 

For  now  no  longer  will  thy  joyful  home  receive 
thee,  nor  will  thy  chaste  wife  and  prattling  chil- 
dren strive  with  eager  haste  which  shall  have  the 
first  kiss,  and  hang  with  secret  joy  round  thy  neck. 
Thou  shalt  be  no  longer  able  to  protect  thy  prop- 
erty and  friends.  One  fatal  day  has  snatched  the 
vast  delights  away. 

So  Gray  ( "  Elegy  " )  says  :— 

"  No  children  run  to  lisp  their  sire's  return, 
Or  climb  his  knees  the  envied  kiss  to  share." 


It  is  true  thou  sleepest  in  death,  and  there  thou 
shalt  lie  to  all  eternity,  free  from  all  cares;  but  we 
shall  mourn  thee  turned  into  ashes  on  the  funeral 
pile,  and  no  length  of  time  shall  ever  take  sorrow 
from  our  breast. 

SHORTNESS  OF  THE  PLEASURES  OF  LIFE. 

When  men  recline  at  table,  drink,  and  crown 
themselves  with  garlands,  it  is  as  much  as  to  say: 
"  What  a  short  life  is  this;  it  has  gone,  nor  must 
we  expect  it  to  return ! " 

MAX. 

Why  is  it,  O  man,  that  thou  indulgest  in  ex- 


LUCRETIUS.  311 

cessive  grief  ?  Why  shed  tears  that  thou  must 
die?  For  if  thy  past  life  has  been  one  of  enjoy- 
ment, and  if  all  thy  pleasures  have  not  passed 
through  thy  mind,  as  through  a  sieve,  and  van- 
ished, leaving  not  a  rack  behind,  why  then  dost 
thou  not,  like  a  thankful  guest,  rise  cheerfully 
from  life's  feast,  and  with  a  quiet  mind  go  take 
thy  rest. 

LIFE   IS   GIVEN   FOR  USE,   NOT  POSSESSION. 

Life  is  not  given  for  a  lasting  possession,  but 
merely  for  use. 
So  1  Corinthians  vi.  20:  — 

"  Ye  are  not  your  own:  ye  are  bought  with  a  price." 

TIME   PAST,   AND   AFTER  DEATH   NOTHING    TO   US. 

Consider,  too,  how  little  it  matters  to  usr  those 
ages  that  have  run  in  eternal  procession  before  we 
were  born.  Nature  places  this  before  us  as  a  mir- 
ror to  warn  us  how  we  should  regard  that  time 
which  will  pass  after  our'death.  Is  there  anything 
terrible  in  this,  anything  sad?  Is  it  not  a  state 
more  soft  than  sleep? 

VAIN  LABORS. 

A  Sisyphus  is  seen  by  us  every  day;  he  it  is  who 
strives  with  mighty  pains  to  get  some  high  office, 
and  always  returns  sad  and  disappointed.  For  to 
aim  at  high  power,  which  is  never  reached,  and 
to  endure  endless  labor,  what  is  this  but  to  roll  a 
vast  stone  up  a  hill,  which  straightway  tumbles 
down  again  and  swiftly  reaches  the  level  plain? 

GUILTY   CONSCIENCE. 

Cerberus,  the  Furies  even,  black  hell,  belching 
forth  horrible  flames  from  its  jaws, — these  are 


312  LUCRETIUS. 

mere  fancies,  mere  empty  names;  but  in  this  life 
the  fear  of  pains  for  wicked  deeds  is  felt  acutely, 
the  prison,  the  fearful  fall  from  the  rock,  scourges, 
the  executioners,  the  pitch,  the  wheel,  the  torch, 
these  affright  the  mind.  Yet  though  these  be  not 
present,  the  guilty  mind,  anticipating  evil,  scourges 
and  stings  itself,  nor  does  it  meanwhile  see  what 
can  be  the  termination  of  its  misfortunes  or  the 
end  of  its  punishments,  fearing  lest  they  should 
be  fiercer  after  death:  hence -the  life  of  such  fools 
is  as  wretched  as  it  would  be  in  hell. 

LIFE  IN  DEATH. 

Whose  life  is  dead,  even  while  he  is  alive  and 
sees. 

"  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death."— Burial  Service. 

THE  GREATEST  MEN  CEASE  TO  LIVE. 

Nay,  the  greatest  wits  and  poets,  too,  cease  to 
live ;  Homer,  their  prince,  sleeps  now  in  the  same 
forgotten  sleep  as  do  the  others. 

OUGHT  MEN   TO   FEEL   IT   A  HAEDSHIP   TO   DIE? 

Wilt  thou  then  repine,  and  think  it  a  hardship 
to  die  ?  thou  for  whom  life  is  well  nigh  dead  even 
while  thou  livest  and  enjoyest  the  light  of  day, 
who  wearest  away  the  greater  part  of  thy  time  in 
sleep,  and  snorest  waking,  and  ceasest  not  to  see 
visions,  and  bearest  about  with  thee  a  mind  trou- 
bled with  groundless  terrors,  and  canst  not  dis- 
cover the  cause  of  thy  never-ending  troubles, 
when  staggering  thou  art  oppressed  on  all  sides 
with  a  multitude  of  cares,  and  reelest  rudderless 
in  unsettled  thoughts. 

STRENUOUS   IDLENESS   OF  THE   RICH. 

He  goes  often  out  of  his  splendid  palace,  tired 


LUCRETIUS.  313 

of  being  ,n  the  house,  and  quickly  returns,  for  he 
feels  that  he  is  no  happier  abroad.  He  hurries 
on,  driving  his  steeds  furiously  to  his  country- 
house,  as  if  he  were  hastening  to  his  house  on  fire; 
when  he  has  reached  the  threshold,  ho  yawns  and 
drops  asleep,  wooing  forgetfulness,  and  then  he 
hurries  back  to  town  in  anxiety  to  revisit  it. 

BOAST   NOT   THYSELF   OF  TO-MOBKOW. 

It  is  doubtful  what  shall  be  on  the  morrow. 

So  Proverbs  xxvii.  1 : — 

"  Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow:  for  thou  knowest  not 
what  a  day  may  bring  forth." 
And  James  iv.  14: — 
"  Ye  know  not  what  shall  be  on  the  morrow." 

THE   STATE   OF   DEATH   ETERNAL. 

Nor  do  we  take  anything  at  all  from  the  eternity 
of  death  by  prolonging  our  life,  nor  can  we  man- 
age that  we  should  not  be  carried  off  by  death 
though  it  be  long  of  coming.  Wherefore,  how- 
ever long  may  be  those  years  we  spend  in  life,  yet 
that  eternal  state  of  death  will  still  remain,  and 
will  not  be  less  long  to  him  who  has  ended  his 
life  to-day  than  to  him  who  perished  months  and 
years  before. 

ECHO. 

When  thou  seest  this,  my  good  friend,  thou 
mayest  explain  to  thyself  and  others,  how  in  soli- 
tary places  rocks  bring  back  the  image  of  the 
words  in  proper  order,  while  we  are  wandering  in 
search  of  our  friends  on  the  dark  mountains  and 
calling  on  our  lost  companions  with  loud  voice.  I 
have  seen  rocks  return  six  or  seven  word  s  for  one ; 
then  from  hill  to  hill  the  dancing  words  resound. 
The  neighbors  imagine  and  maintain  that  the 


314  LUCRETIUS. 

goat-footed  Satyrs,  Nymphs,  and  Fauns  dwell 
there,  and  by  their  wanton  sport  and  wild  delights 
they  think  that  the  deep  silence  of  the  night  is 
broken,  and  hence  are  heard  the  sound  of  the  lyre 
and  music's  softest  airs,  given  back  by  the  fingers 
of  those  musicians :  the  listening  swains  hear  from 
far,  while  the  goat-faced  Pan,  shaking  the  pine- 
leaved  garlands  on  his  head,  often  blows  his  oaten 
pipe  with  his  moist  lips,  lest  the  reed  should  cease 
to  send  forth  a  sylvan  sound. 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  i.  781)  says:— 

"  Faery  elves, 

Whose  midnight  revels,  by  a  forest  side, 
Or  fountain,  some  belated  peasant  sees, 
Or  dreams  he  sees." 

SHIPS  TURNED  ABOUT  WITH  A  VERY  SMALL  HELM. 

For  a  slight  breeze  with  its  thin  body  moving, 
turns  the  mighty  ship  with  its  mighty  carcass; 
and  one  hand  guides  it,  as  it  goes  by  the  merest 
touch,  and  twists  the  helm  any  way  it  pleases. 

So  James  iii.  4:— 

'•  Behold  also  the  ships,  'which,  though  they  be  so  great, 
and  are  driven  of  fierce  winds,  yet  are  they  turned  about  with 
a  very  small  helm,  whithersoever  the  governor  listeth." 

DREAMS. 

Whatever  studies  each  takes  most  delight,  or  in 
which  we  are  most  engaged  during  the  day,  in 
sleep  we  dream:  the  lawyer  pleads,  makes  laws; 
the  soldier  fights  his  battles  o'er  again;  we,  too, 
are  busily  engaged  on  what  occupies  our  waking 
thoughts,  tracing  nature's  laws,  and  explaining  in 
our  native  language. 

DISSIPATION. 
Besides  they  waste  their  strength  in  love's  mad- 


LUCRETIUS.  315 

dening  strife,  and  spend  their  life  under  another's 
will;    meanwhile  their    property  is  wasted  and 
mortgages  incurred,  while  life's  business  is  neg- 
lected and  their    reputation  is  wrecked;   in  the 
midst  of  their  imaginary  happiness  something  bit- 
ter bubbles  up  to  poison  their  draught  of  pleasure. 
So  Byron  ("  Childe  Harold,"  c.  1, 182):— 
"  Full  from  the  fount  of  joy's  delicious  springs 
Some  bitter  o'er  the  flowers  its  bubbling  venom  flings." 
And  again:— 

"  There  rose  no  day,  there  roll'd  no  hour, 

Of  pleasure  unembitter'd; 
And  not  a  trapping  deck'd  my  power, 
That  gall'd  not  while  it  glitter'd." 

EVEKV  MAN   HAS   A   SKELETON   CLOSET. 

Men  conceal  the  back-scenes  of  their  life. 

AN   INFANT. 

Then,  the  infant,  like  the  sailor  tossed  on  shore 
by  the  furious  waves,  lies  naked  on  the  ground 
helpless,  when  nature  has  pushed  him  from  the 
womb  of  his  mother  into  the  light  of  day,  filling 
the  air  with  piteous  cries,  a  fit  presage  of  the  many 
ills  that  await  him  in  life. 
Dryden  thus  translates  this  passage: — 

"  Thus  like  a  sailor  by  a  tempest  hurl'd 
Ashore,  the  babe  is  shipwreck'd  on  the  world; 
Naked  he  lies  and  ready  to  expire; 
Helpless  of  all  that  human  wants  require; 
Exposed  upon  inhospitable  earth 
From  the  first  moment  of  his  hapless  birth, 
Straight  with  foreboding  cries  he  fills  the  room; 
Too  true  presages  of  his  future  doom." 
So  a  translation  from  the  Persian  by  Sir  William  Jones:— 
"  On  parent  knees,  a  naked  new-born  child, 
Weeping  thou  sat'st  while  all  around  thee  smiled; 
So  live  that,  sinking  in  thy  last  long  sleep 
Calm  thou  may'st  smile,  while  all  around  theo  weep." 


316  LUCRETIUS. 

EFFECTS  OF  TIME. 

In  short,  do  you  not  see  stones  even  yield  to  the 
power  of  time,  lofty  towers  fall  to  decay,  and  rocks 
moulder  away?  Temples  and  statues  of  the  gods 
go  to  ruin,  nor  can  the  gods  themselves  prolong 
their  date  or  get  reprieve  from  fate. 

THE    WORLD     AND     ALL    THINGS     THEBEIN     MUST 
PERISH. 

The  gate  of  death  is  not  shut  to  the  heaven  nor 
earth,  or  deep  waters  of  the  ocean,  but  stands 
wide  with  a  vast  opening. 

CONTENTMENT. 

But  if  men  live  according  to  reason's  rules,  they 
would  find  the  greatest  riches  to  be  to  live  content 
with  little;  for  there  is  never  want  where  the 
mind  is  satisfied. 

So  1  Timothy  vi.  6:— 

"  For  godliness  with  contentment  is  great  gain." 

WHAT  WE  FEABED  ONCE. 

For  what  we  once  feared  is  spurned  with  pleas- 
ure. 

Byron  ("  Childe  Harold,"  iii.  81)  says:— 
"Roused  up  to  too  much  wrath,  which  follows  o'ergrown 
fears." 

Til  UN  DEB. 

Besides,  what  mind  is  unawed,  what  limbs  do 
not  tremble,  when  the  parched  earth  shakes  with 
the  fearful  peals  of  thunder,  and  the  whole  heaven 
re-echoes  with  the  noise?  Do  not  people  and  na- 
tions stand  horror-struck?  and  proud  kings  trem- 
ble at  their  approaching  doom,  lest  the  hour  of 
vengeance  should  have  arrived  for  their  wicked 
deeds  and  vaunting  words? 


LUCRETIUS.  317 

COUNTRY  PLEASURES. 

These  pleasures  charmed  and  were  wont  to  de- 
light them  when  the  feast  was  over,  for  then  all 
things  please.  Then  reclining  on  the  green  grass, 
by  a  purling  stream,  under  the  umbrageous 
boughs  of  some  tall  tree,  they  oft  enjoyed  them- 
selves at  small  expense,  when  the  weather  smiled 
in  all  its  beauty,  and  spring  painted  the  earth  with 
gaudy  flowers.  Then  merry  jests,  banter,  and 
peals  of  laughter  went  round ;  then  rude  jokes  were 
in  their  prime;  then  roguish  merriment  made 
them  adorn  their  heads  with  garlands  of  flowers 
and  leaves,  and  dance  out  of  time,  moving  their 
limbs  heavily  and  shaking  the  trembling  ground 
with  leaden  steps,  while  shouts  and  cheers  arose 
because  all  the  tricks  seemed  strange  and  new. 
And  as  they  passed  the  night  without  sleep,  they 
whiled  the  time  away  in  humorous  songs  and  drol- 
lery, making  the  oaten  pipe  discourse  sweet  music 
with  their  lips. 

"  STRAIT    IS    THE     GATE." 

He  set  forth  what  was  that  chief  good  to  which 
we  were  all  tending,  and  pointed  out  the  road  with 
its  narrow  path,  by  which  we  might  advance  by  a 
straight  course. 

So  Matthew  vii.  14  :— 

"  Strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way,  which  leadeth 
unto  life." 

"WHAT  DEFII/ETH  A  MAN." 

He  understands  by  this  that  it  is  the  vessel  itself 
that  causes  the  corruption,  and  that  all  things  put 
into  it  are  thus  defiled,  however  good  and  salutary 
they  may  be  before  they  are  put  in — i.e.,  the  heart 
of  man  is  to  blame,  not  what  nature  gives  it. 


318  MANILIUS. 

So  Matthew  xv.  11 : — 

"  Not  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth  deflleth  a  man;  but 
that  which  C3in3t!iout  of  th3  inauth,  tliis  deflleth  a  man." 

WHY    DO   THE    GODS    NOT    STRIKE   THE    WICKED? 

But  if  Jupiter  and  the  other  gods  shake  the 
heavenly  temples  with  terrific  peals,  hurling  their 
fire  on  whomsoever  they  will,  why  do  they  not 
launch  it  against  those  who  are  overwhelmed 
with  abominable  crimes,  that,  transfixed,  they 
may  breathe  forth  liames,  an  impressive  warning 
to  mortals?  Why  rather  is  the  innocent,  uncon- 
scious of  evil,  struck  down  by  the  bolt,  and  over- 
taken suddenly  by  the  tempest  and  the  lightning? 


MAISTILIUS. 

MANILIUS  is  the  author  of  an  astrological  poem, 
in  five  books,  entitled  "  Astronomica."  We  know 
nothing  of  his  personal  history,  nor  even  at  what 
period  he  lived.  Some  think  that  he  is  the  Mani- 
lius  described  by  Pliny  (II.  N.  x.  2,  1);  by  others 
he  is  thought  to  be  Manilius  Antiochus,  styled 
"Astrologiae  Conditorem,"  who  was  brought  to 
Rome  as  a  slave  along  with  Publius  Syrus  and 
Staberius  Eros  (PI.  H.  N.  xxxv.  58,  1);  and  there 
are  many  other  suppositions,  but  the  question 
cannot  now  be  decided. 

THE    GOOD  RESULTING  TO     MAN     FROM     A  NECES- 
SITOUS   LIFE. 

It  is  their  life  of  labor  that  has  inspired  the 
wretched  with  genius,  and  it  is  their  bad  fortune 


319 


that  has    forced  man  to  exertion  by  depressing 
him. 

EXPERIENCE. 

For  experience  always  sows  the  seeds  of  one 
thing  after  another. 

INVENTIVE    NATURE. 

An  inventive  nature  gets  the  better  of  every  dif- 
ficulty by  trial. 

So  Ecclesiastes  ix.  13:  — 

"  Whatsoever  thy  hand  flndeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might." 

PRAYER    FOR    LONG    LIFE. 

May  fortune  grant  success  to  my  mighty  enter- 
prise, and  may  I  reach  a  lengthened  old  age  in  the 
enjoyment  of  ease,  that  I  may  be  able  to  unfold 
to  view  such  a  mass  of  heavenly  objects,  and  de- 
scribe great  and  small  with  equal  precision. 

THE    FIXED    LAWS    OF    NATURE. 

All  things  submit  to  fixed  laws. 

VICISSITUDES    OF    HUMAN    AFFAIRS. 

Everything  that  is  created  is  changed  by  the 
laws  of  man;  the  earth  does  not  know  itself  in  the 
revolution  of  years;  even  the  races  of  man  assume 
various  forms  in  the  course  of  ages. 

POWER   OF    THE    MIND. 

No  barriers,  no  masses  of  matter  however  enor- 
mous, can  withstand  the  powers  of  the  mind;  the 
remotest  coolers  yield  to  them;  all  things  suc- 
cumb, the  very  heaven  itself,  is  laid  open. 

THE  HOURS. 
The  hours  fly  along  in  a  circle. 


320  MANILJUS. 

THE    HEAVEN. 

We  know  not  how  to  trust  to  the  sky. 

MAX    AN    EMANATION    FROM    THE    DEITY. 

Who  can  know  heaven  except  by  its  gifts?  and 
who  can  find  out  God,  unless  the  man  who  is  him- 
self an  emanation  from  God? 

REASON. 
For  reason  is  neither  deceived  nor  ever  deceives. 

"NOT  A  RIGHT Et> US    MAN,   NO,   NOT  ONE." 

Through  so  many  ages,  so  many  eventful  years, 
so  many  wars  and  variety  of  labors,  even  dur- 
ing peace,  though  Fortune  searches  carefully  for 
honor,  she  finds  it  scarcely  anywhere.  But  what 
a  mass  of  wickedness  in  all  times,  and  on  earth 
what  a  load  of  envy,  for  which  we  can  find  no 
excuse ! 

THE    SUBJECT. 

Satisfied  to  instruct,  it  refuses  every  ornament. 

TIME. 

Time  stands  with  impartial  law. 

THE  MIXTURE  OF  GOOD   AND  BAD. 

There  is  a  warp  of  evil  woven  into  the  woof  of 
good,  and  tears  follow  close  on  success :  for  does 
Fortune  keep  an  even  tenor  to  all,  so  tangled  in 
the  yarn,  and  so  mingled  does  she  flow;  never  con- 
tinuing constant;  men  lose  confidence  in  her  from 
turning  all  things  upside  down. 

THE  UNLIKENESS  OF  ONE  YEAR  TO  ANOTHER. 

Years  do    not    always    agree  with   years,   nor 


MAN1LIUS.  321 

months  with  months,  and  even  one  day  will  be 
in  search  of  itself,  and  one  hour  is  not  similar  to 
another. 

THE   COVETOUS. 

Every  one  is  the  poorer  in  proportion  as  he  has  , 
more  wants,  and  counts  not  what  he  has,  but  ^ 
wishes  only  what  he  has  not. 

THE  END  OF  OUB  LIFE  IS  LINKED  TO  THE  BEGIN- 
NING. 

We  begin  to  die  at  the  moment  we  are  born,  and 
the  end  is  linked  to  the  beginning. 

This  line  and  idea  have  been  made  use  of  by  Jeremy  Taylor 
in  the  "Holy  Dying"  (c.  iii.  s.  1): — 

"  When  man  fell,  then  he  began  to  die:  the  same  day  (so 
said  God,  and  that  must  needs  be  true);  and  therefore  it  must 
mean,  that  upon  that  very  day  he  fell  into  an  evil  and  danger- 
ous condition,  a  state  of  change  and  affliction,  and  then  death 
began— that  is,  the  man  began  to  die  by  a  natural  diminution 
and  aptness  to  disease  and  misery." 

Pope  also  ("Essay  on  Man,"  Ep.  ii.  1.  133)  says  somewhat  to 
the  same  effect: — 

"  As  man,  perhaps,  the  moment  of  his  breath, 
Receives  the  lurking  principle  of  death, 
The  young  disease,  that  must  subdue  at  length, 
Grows  with  his  growth  and  strengthens  with  his  strength." 
And  Young  ("Night  Thoughts,"  Night V.  1.  717):— 
"  While  man  is  growing,  life  is  in  decrease, 
And  cradles  rock  us  nearer  to  the  tomb ; 
Our  birth  is  nothing  but  our  death  begun." 

FATE. 

His  fate  must  be  borne  by  every  one. 

DEATH  NOT  TO   BE    BOUGHT   OFF  BY  BICHES. 

Man's  fate  is  not  to  be  bought  off  by  immensity 
of  riches,  but  fortune  carries  off  the  dead  from 
21 


822  MARTIAL. 

the  proud  palace,  raising  the  pile  and  the  tomb 
for  the  highest  of  the  earth. 

LABOR. 

Labor  even  is  pleasant. 
Longfellow  says: — 

"  No  endeavor  is  in  vain; 
Its  reward  is  in  the  doing. 

IMMORTALITY  OF    THE   SOUL. 

Is  there  a  doubt  that  a  God  dwells  in  our  breast, 
and  that  souls  return  to  heaven  and  reach  it  ? 

MAN  IS  THE  IMAGE  OF  GOD. 

Every  one  is  in  a  small  degree  the  image  of  God. 

ALWAYS  BEGINNING  TO    LIVE. 

We  are  always  beginning  to  live,  but  we  are 
never  living. 

SENSUAL  PLEASURE. 

Virtue  never,  but  lust  often,  leads  to  loss,  and 
loathsome  pleasure  is  bought  even  with  death. 


MARTIAL. 

BOEN  A.D.   43 — DIED  ABOUT    A.D.    104. 

M.  VALERIUS  MARTIALIS,  a  celebrated  epigra- 
matist,  born  at  Bilbilis  in  Spain  A.D.  43,  came  to 
Rome  in  the  reign  of  Nero,  A.D.  60,  where  he  re- 
sided for  thirty-live  years,  returning  again  to  the 
place  of  his  birth  A.D.  100.  in  the  third  year  of  the 
reign  of  Trajan.  He  was  a  special  favorite  of  the 


MAETIAL.  323 

emperors  Titus  and  Domitian,  his  works  being 
eagerly  sought  for  not  only  in  the  city,  but  also  in 
'Gaul,  Germany,  Britain,  Getica,  and  the  stormy 
regions  of  the  north.  These  are  the  chief  particu- 
lars that  are  known  respecting  him.  The  extant 
works  of  Martial  are  a  collection  of  short  poems, 
entitled  Epigrammata,  upwards  of  1500  in  number, 
divided  into  fourteen  books.  He  was  a  base 
flatterer,  and  is  a  most  indecent  writer. 

WIT  IS   QUICK   IN  STRAITS. 

How  quick  a  wit  is  found  in  sudden  chances  1 

INNOCENT    JOKES. 

The  censorship  may  allow  innocent  jokes. 

HOW   FAME   IS   TO   BE   ACQUIRED. 

I  do  not  like  the  man  who  squanders  life  for    V 
fame:  give    me    the    man  who,   living,  makes  a 
name. 

A    PRETTY    MAX. 

Thou  wishest,  Cotta,  to  appear  a  pretty  and  a  / 
great  man  at  the  same  time;  but  he  whp  is  a  v 
pretty  man  is  a  very  little  man. 

JOYS    ABIDE    NOT. 

Cares  and  linked  chains  of  trouble  await  thee, 
joys  abide  not,  but  are  ever  on  the  wing. 

TO-MdRROW. 

'Tis  not,  believe  me,  the  act  of  a  wise  man  to 
say  "I  will  live.5'  To-morrow's  life  is  too  late; 
live  to-day. 


324  MARTIAL. 

SOME   GOOD,   SOME  BAD. 

Some  are  good,  some  are  middling,  the  greater 
part  are  bad. 

GLORY  TOO  LATE. 

Glory  comes  too  late  when  paid  only  to  our 
ashes. 

DISLIKE  WITHOUT  A  JUST  REASON. 

I  do  not  love  thee,  Sabidius,  nor  can  I  say  why; 
I  can  only  say  this,  I  do  not  love  thee. 

Dr.  Fell,  Dean  of  Christ  Church,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Ox- 
ford, who  died  in  1686,  agreed  to  cancel  a  decree  of  expulsion 
against  Tom  Brown,  if  that  humorist  could  translate  on  the 
spot  Martial's  epigram,  and  which  he  did  to  the  Dean's  sur- 
prise, in  the  following  well-known  lines: — 
"  I  do  not  love  thee,  Doctor  Fell, 
The  reason  why  I  cannot  tell ; 
But  this  I'm  sure  I  know  full  well, 
I  do  not  love  thee,  Doctor  Fell." 

This  is  the  same  idea  that  appears  in  Seneca  (Thyest.  ii. 
261):- 

"  I  am  hurried  on  by  love,  I  know  not  how;  but  I  am  hur- 
ried on." 

FORCED  TEARS. 

Gellia  does  not  weep  for  her  deceased  father, 
when  she  is  alone;  but  if  any  one  be  there,  the 
tears  start  obedient  from  her  eyes.    He  mourns 
not,  Gellia,  who  seeks  to  be  praised  ;\  he  is  the  true 
mourner  who  mourns  without  a  witness.  \ 
Shakespeare  ("  Twelfth  Night,"  act  ii.  sc.  4)  says:— 
"  She  never  told  her  love, 
But  let  concealment,  like  a  worm  i'  the  bud, 
Feed  on  her  damask  cheek;  she  pin'd  in  thought." 

A  RICH  SOIL. 
Steers  are  unwilling  to  carry  their  yoke  into 


MARTIAL.  325 

barren  fields:  a  rich  soil  fatigues,  but  then  the 
labor  bestowed  on  it  is  rewarded. 

PEBFUME. 
He  smells  not  well  whose  smell  is  all  perfume. 

A  FRIEND  WHO   IS   HIMSELF  IN  SERVICE. 

It  is  useless,  believe  me,  to  hope  for  service  from 
a  friend,  who  is  himself  in  service.  Let  him  be  a 
free  man,  who  wishes  to  be  my  master. 

LAUGH   AND   BE   WISE. 

Be  merry  if  you  are  wise. 

A-I   OF   BEGGARS. 

So  poor,  that  my  friend  Publius  does  not  surpass 
him  in  tattered  garments,  nor  Codrus  himself,  the 
prince  of  beggars. 

REMEMBER   DEATH. 

Prepare  the  couches;  call  for  wine;  crown  thy- 
self with  roses;  perfume  thyself  with  odors;  the 
god  himself  bids  thee  remember  death. 

AWAY  WITH   DELAY. 

Come,  away  with  this  delay;  how  much  longer 
are  we  to  await  your  decision  ?  While  thus  you 
hesitate  what  to  be,  you  will  be  unfit  to  be  any- 
thing at  all. 

TO   KILL   ONE'S   SELF   TO   ESCAPE   DEATH. 

This  I  ask,  whether  it  is  not  the  veriest  mad- 
ness to  kill  thyself  that  thou  mayest  escape  death. 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  567,  M.)  :— 
"  My  dearest,  who  is  not  the  hireling  of  death,  who,  for  the 
sake  of  life,  is  about  to  die  ? " 


328  MARTIAL. 

LABOR  EXPENDED   ON  TRIFLES. 

It  is  disgraceful  to  a  poet  to  make  one's  amuse- 
ment difficult;  and  labor  expended  on  trifles  is 
childish. 

TO   HASTE   TO   LIVE. 

Forgive  me  that  I,  though  poor,  yet  not  useless 
to  my  generation,  make  haste  to  enjoy  life,  no  one 
is  in  sufficient  haste  to  do  so. 

SIMPLE   TASTES. 

My  humble  desires  are  satisfied  with  a  quiet 
fireside,  a  house  that  is  not  spoiled  by  smoke,  a 
living  spring,  and  the  natural  green  sod.  May 
these  be  mine — a  well-fed  slave,  a  wife  not  over- 
learned,  nights  with  sleep,  days  without  strife. 

THE   GREATER  EVIL. 

The  defect  that  is  attempted  to  be  concealed  is 
thought  to  be  greater  than  it  is. 

A  BEAU. 

A  beau  is  one  who  arranges  his  curled  locks  with 
nicest  care,  who  ever  smells  of  balm  and  cinnamon; 
who  repeats  with  humming  lips  the  songs  of  the 
Nile  and  Cadiz;  who  tosses  his  sleek  arms  in  vari- 
ous attitudes;  who  idles  away  from  mom  to  even 
his  whole  time,  where  ladies  meet,  ever  whisper- 
ing some  nothing  in  some  fair  one's  ear ;  who  reads 
little  billets-doux  from  this  one  and  that,  scrib- 
bling in  return;  who  shrinks  from  rubbing  against 
the  coarse  dress  of  a  neighbor's  guest ;  who  knows 
who  flirts  with  .whom,  and  flutters  from  feast  to 
feast;  who  can  recount  most  accurately  the  pedi- 
gree of  the  race-horse  "Hirpinus."  What  do  you 
tell  me  ?  is  this  a  beau  ?  Then  a  beau,  Cotilus,  is 
a  very  trifling  thing. 


MARTIAL.  327 

EAEITY  GIVES  A  CHARM. 

Rarity  gives  a  charm ;  thus  early  fruits  are  most 
esteemed ;  thus  winter  roses  obtain  a  higher  price : 
thus  coyness  sets  off  an  extravagant  mistress:  a 
door  ever  open  attracts  no  young  suitor. 

TO  KNOW  THOROUGHLY. 

I  know  all  that  as  well  as  my  own  name. 

DEATH. 

From  no  place  can  you  exclude  the  fates. 
So  Heber  ("  At  a  Funeral ")  :— 

"  Death  rides  on  every  passing  breeze,  | 
He  lurks  in  every  flower." 

A  BUSYBODY. 

There  is  nothing  more  unbecoming  than  an  old 
busybody. 

METHOD    SURMOUNTS  DIFFICULTIES. 

Thus  divided,  the  work  will  become  short. 

A  HYPOCRITE. 

Thou  mayest  deceive  others  by  thy  words  and 
smiling  countenance;  to  me  thou  wilt  be  hence- 
forth an  unmasked  deceiver. 


How  shall  I  say  it  happens  that  living  writers 
receive  no  honor  in  their  own  time,  and  are  seldom 
read  by  their  contemporaries  '?  Doubtless,  Regu- 
lus,  this  is  the  characteristic  of  envy,  that  it  re- 
jects the  moderns  for  the  ancients. 

GLORY  AFTER  DEATH. 

If  fame  is  only  to  come  after  death,  I  am  in  no 
hurry  for  it.  , 


328  MARTIAL. 

ANY  ONE  MAY  BE  LIKE  TO  THEE. 

Such  are  thou  and  I ;  but  what  I  am  thou  canst 
not  be ;  what  thou  art  any  one  of  the  multitude 
may  be. 

GIFTS. 

Gifts  are  like  fish-hooks :  for  who  is  not  aware 
that  the  greedy  char  is  deceived  by  the  fly  which 
he  swallows  ? 

TIME  PLACED  TO  OUR  ACCOUNT. 

Now  neither  of  us  lives  for  himself,  but,  alas! 
sees  the  best  of  his  days  flee  from  him  and  vanish; 
days  which  are  ever  being  lost  to  us,  and  are  set 
down  to  our  account. 

THE  UNHAPPY. 

I  believe  that  man  to  be  wretched  whom  none 
can  please. 

GIFTS. 

What  is  bestowed  on  our  friends  is  beyond  the 
reach  of  fortune ;  the  riches  that  thou  hast  given 
away  are  the  only  riches  that  thou  really  possess- 
est. 

BEAGGING. 

Believe  me,  Posthumus,  gifts,  however  great, 
lose  their  value  when  the  donor  boasts  of  them. 

TO-MORROW. 

To-morrow  thou  wilt  live,  didst  thou  say,  Pos- 
thumus ?  to-day  is  too  late :  he  is  the  wise  man 
who  lived  yesterday. 

GREAT  GIFTS. 

Whoever  makes  great  presents,  wishes  great 
presents  to  be  madt^to  him  in  return. 


MARTIAL.  329 

THE  RICH. 

Riches  are  now  given  to  none  but  the  rich. 

LOVE. 
That  thou  mayest  be  loved,  love. 

THINGS  DOTED  ON. 

Short  is  the  life  of  those  who  possess  great 
accomplishments,  and  seldom  do  they  reach  a 
good  old  age.  Whatever  thou  lovest,  pray  that 
thou  mayest  not  set  too  high  a  value  on  it. 

NO  SMELL. 

\ 

I  would  rather  smell  of  nothing  than  of  scents. 

IMMORTAL   WRITINGS. 

Something  else  is  required  to  give  immortality 
to  writings.  A  book  that  is  destined  to  live  must 
have  genius. 

A  VULTURE. 

To  what  vulture  will  this  carcass  fall  ? -    - 

GOOD   HEALTH. 

He  who  thinks  that  the  lives  of  Priam  and  Nes- 
tor are  to  be  counted  long,  is  greatly  deceived  and 
mistaken.  Life  consists  not  in  living,  but  in  the 
feeling  of  enjoyment. 

LIVE   AS   IF   YOU  WERE   RESCUED   FROM  DEATH. 

Live  as  if  you  were  rescued  from  death,  and 
seize  fleeting  enjoyments,  and  thus  your  recovered 
life  will  not  have  lost  a  single  day. 

HOME. 

He  dwells  just  nowhere  that  dwells  everywhere. 


330  MARTIAL. 


"  MAKE   HAY  WHILE  THE   SUN   SHINES." 

Hasten  to  take  it;  the  opportunity  for  gain  is 
short. 
This  is  the  same  idea  as  "  Strike  while  the  iron  is  hot." 


THE  DUTY  OF  A  PRINCE. 

It  is  a  prince's  highest  duty  to  be  acquainted 
with  his  own  subjects. 

WHAT  A  FRIEND  WILL  DO  AND  NOT  DO. 

Gold,  wealth,  and  a  piece  of  landed  property 
many  a  friend  will  give,  but  to  find  the  man  who 
will  consent  to  yield  the  palm  in  wit  and  genius, 
will  be  difficult. 

THE  IDOLATER. 

It  is  not  he  who  forms  divine  images  in  gold  or 
marble  that  makes  them  gods,  but  he  who  kneels 
before  them. 


HYPOCRISY. 

It  matters  much  whether  you  are  really  good  or 
merely  wish  to  appear  so. 

PATRONS. 

If  there  be  patrons  like  Maecenas,  there  will  not, 
Flaccus,  be  wanting  poets  like  Virgil. 

LOVE   AND   HATE. 

Thou  wishest  to  marry  Prisons:  I  am  not  sur- 
prised, Paula:  thou  art  wise.  Priscus  does  not 
wish  to  marry  thee,  and  he  is  wise. 


MARTIAL.  331 

There  is  a  well  known  epigram  by  Leigh  Hunt,  which  is 
described  as  "  from  the  French  of  Tabouret,"  and  which  runs 
thus:— 

"Abel  fain  would  marry  Mabel; 
Well,  it's  very  wise  of  Abel, 
But  Mabel  won't  at  all  have  Abel; 
Well,  it's  wiser  still  of  Mabel." 
Tabouret  had  evidently  been  inspired  by  Martial. 

THE    VALUE  OF    A    BOOK     ENHANCED     BY     BEING 
PRESENTED   BY   ITS   AUTUOK 

Your  coming  from  the  author  will  give  value  to 
the  present.  It  makes  a  great  difference,  believe 
me,  whether  a  draught  be  drawn  from  the  fount- 
ain-head or  from  the  stagnant  waters  of  a  sluggish 
pool. 

WRITINGS   IMPROVED   BY   TIME. 

VAs  for  writings,  thieves  cannot  destroy  them, 
and  they  are  improved  by  time ;  they  are  the  only 
monuments  that  are  proof  against  death. 

A  MORALIST. 

My  every  page  is  an  essay  on  man. 

A    GOOD    MAN. 

A  good  man  doubles  the  length  of  his  existence; 
to  have  lived  so  as  to  look  back  with  pleasure  on 
our  past  existence  is  to  live  twice. 

TO   SATIRIZE   VICES,   NOT   INDIVIDUALS. 

•    It  has  been  my  constant  aim  in  all  my  writings    \ 
to  lash  vice,  but  to  spare  persons. 
Du  Lorens  (Sat.  vii.  14V)  says  somewhat  to  the  same  effect: 

"I  do  not  attack  fools,  but  folly." 

It  is  said  that  this  Latin  quotation  was  once  repeated  to 
Donne,    "Thunder   against   vices,  but  spare  the  vicious." 
"  What,"  said  he,  "condemn  cards,  and  pardon  the  sharper ! " 
So  Isidorus  says:— 

"  Preserve  the  guns,  but  destroy  the  gunners." 


332  MARTIAL. 

WHAT  MAKES  LIFE  HAPPY. 

The  things  that  make  life  happy,  dearest  Mar- 
tian, are  theiju;  Wealth,  not  gained  bQlie  sweat  of 
our  brow,  but  by  inheritance ;  lands  jhat  make  a 
goT^nTTEurn ;  a~riresicie  always  comfortable  ;_no_ 
need  of  lawyers;  no  dress  for  business;  a  mind 
at  ease ;  a  vigorousjf  rame ;  a  healthyconstitutioh . 
prudence  without  cunning ;  i'rienrts^equal  both  in 
yeju-s^  and  fame;  plcasaiit  social  intercourse-.  ^ 
table  without  pretence;  nights  not  drunken,  but 
free  from  care ;  a  bed  not  without  connubial 
rllftjisrnvps^  sWj  wlnp||  makes  the  darkness  seem 
short;  to  be  what  you  are,  and  no  wish  for  change ; 
and  neither  to  fear  death  nor  seek  it. 

"~  So  Milton  ("Paradise  Lost,"  xi.  5531  says:-- 

"  Nor  l<we  thy  life  nor  hate;  but  what  thou  lov'st, 
Love  well;  how  long  or  short  permit  to  Heaven." 

PLEASANTRY  WITHOUT  BITTERNESS. 

There  shall  be  pleasantry  without  bitterness; 
there  shall  be  no  licence  of  speech  that  will  bring 
repentance  on  the  morrow,  and  nothing  said  that 
we  would  wish  unsaid. 

THE  BALD  PRETENDING  TO  HAVE  HAIB. 

There  is  nothing  more  contemptible  than  a  bald 
man  who  pretends  to  have  hair. 

BEGGARY. 

To  have  nothing  is  not  poverty,  but  beggary. 

THE  BRAVE. 

In  adversity  it  is  easy  to  despise  life,  the  really 
brave  man  is  he  who  can  submit  to  lead  a  wretched 
life. 


MARTIAL.  333 

DEAD   MEN'S   SHOES. 

You  will  give  me  nothing  during  your  life ;  you 
say  that  you  will  give  me  something  after  your 
death:  if  you  are  not  a  fool,  Maro,  you  know  what 
I  wish  for. 

THE   DISADVANTAGES   OF   A   SMALL    SOCIETY   IN   A 
PROVINCE. 

Add  to  this  the  backbiting  of  provincial  tongues, 
envy  usurping  the  place  of  true  criticism,  and  one 
or  two  ill-conditioned  persons, — a  host  in  a  small 
society, — with  whom  it  is  difficult  daily  to  keep 
one's  temper. 

FORTUNE  GIVES  TOO  MUCH  TO  SOME. 

Fortune  gives  too  much  to  many,  enough  to 
none. 

A  CHARACTER. 

You  are  at  once  morose  and  agreeable,  pleasing 
and  repulsive.  I  can  neither  live  with  you  nor 
without  you. 

Addison  ("  Spectator,"  No.  C8)  thus  paraphrases  it: — 
"  In  all  thy  humors,  whether  grave  or  mellow, 
Thou'rt  such  a  touchy,  testy,  pleasant  fellow, 
Hast  so  much  wit  and  mirth  and  spleen  about  thee, 
That  there's  no  living  with  thee  nor  without  thee." 
And  Goldsmith  in  his  "  Retaliation  " : — 

"  Our  Garrick's  a  salad:  for  in  him  we  see 
Oil,  vinegar,  sugar,  and  saltness  agree." 

HONEST   MAN  EASILY   DECEIVED. 

An  honest  man  is  a  child  in  worldly  wit. 

TO   ENJOY   COUNTRY  LIFE  IN   THE   CITY. 

It  is  a  country  house  in  the  city. 


3^4  NEPOS. 

i 

A  MAN'S  RESPONSIBILITIES. 

He  who  weighs  his  responsibilities,  can  bear 
them. 

THE  WISE. 

Whosoever  is  not  more  than  wise  enough  is 

wise. 


NEPOS. 

FLOURISHED  B.C.  40. 

CoBlfELius  NEPOS,  the  contempoi-ary  of  Cicero, 
Atticus,  and  Catullus,  is  supposed  to  have  been 
born  at  Verona,  but  there  are  no  particulars  of  his 
history  on  which  reliance  can  be  placed.  He  died 
during  the  reign  of  Augustus.  In  the  year  1471  a 
quarto  volume  appeared  from  the  press  of  Jenson 
of  Venice,  entitled  sEinilii  Probi  de  vitd  excel- 
lentium,  containing  lives  of  twenty  distinguished 
commanders,  nineteen  Greek  and  one  Persian. 
Then  followed  three  chapters  de  Regibus,  and 
lives  of  Hamilcar  and  Hannibal.  In  another  edi- 
tion were  added  lives  of  Cato  and  Atticus.  Lam- 
binus  maintains  that  these  lives  are  the  production 
of  Cornelius  Nepos,  and  not  of  .JSmilius  Probus. 
This  question  has  given  rise  to  interminable  d,s- 
cussions.  These  biographies  have,  ever  since  their 
first  appearance,  been  a  favorite  school-book. 

WAR. 

Nothing  ought  to  be  despised  in  war. 


NEPOS.  335 

THE   COWARD. 

The  mother  of  a  coward  does  not  usually  weep. 


No  government  is  safe  unless  it  is  strong  in  the 
good-will  of  the  people. 

DEMOCRACY. 

The  affairs  of  a  kingdom  cannot  be  properly   // 
conducted  by  a  democracy. 

FEAR. 

The  life  of  those  is  to  be  pitied,  who  prefer  to 
be  feared  rather  than  loved. 

NO  EVIL  GREAT  WHICH  IS  THE  LAST. 

No  evil  is  great  if  it  is  the  last  which  we  are  to 
bear. 

GREAT  MEN. 

We  value  great  men  by  their  virtue  and  not  by 
their  success. 

ENVY   IS   THE   ATTENDANT   OF   GLORY. 

It  is  a  common  vice  in  great  and  free  states  for  ]j 
envy  to  be  the  attendant  upon  glory. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Belter.  5)  says:— 

•'  Men  born  of  low  degree  are  envious  :  envy  is  wont  to  at- 
tack the  noble  " 

Nicomachus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1180,  M.;  says: — 

"  It  is  a  difficult  thing  for  a  man  living  in  the  world  to  es- 
cape the  eyes  of  the  envious."  « 

La  Bruyere  says : — 

"  I  am  told  so  much  evil  of  that  man,  and  I  see  so  little  of 
it  in  him,  that  I  begin  to  suspect  that  he  possesses  some  in- 
convenient merit,  which  extinguishes  that  of  others." 


336  OVID. 

AN  HONORABLE  DEATH. 

An  honorable  death  is  to  be  preferred  to  a  base 
death. 

KINGS. 

It  is  the  custom  of  kings  to  attribute  adversity 
to  the  fault  of  others,  and  to  consider  prosperity 
as  the  result  of  their  own  good  fortune. 

THE   SILENT. 

Concealing  secrets  entrusted  to  him,  which  is 
sometimes  not  less  advantageous  to  a  man  than 
eloquence. 

PEACE. 

Peace  is  procured  by  war. 

A  FRIEND  TO  ME,   NOT  MY  FORTUNE. 

That  he  was  accustomed  to  be  a  friend  not  to 
fortune  but  to  men. 

Dante  ("  Inferno,"  ii.  02)  says  :— 

"A  friend  not  of  my  fortune,  but  myself." 

GOOD  TASTE. 

More  good  taste  than  expense. 


OVID. 

BORN  B.C.  43 — DIED  A.D.   18. 

• 

P.  OVIDIUS  NASO,  born  at  Sulmo,  in  the  mount- 
ains of  the  Peligni,  and  descended  from  an  ancient 
equestrian  family,  was  intended  for  the  legal  pro- 


OVID.  337 

fession,  but  the  hours  which  should  have  been 
devoted  to  the  study  of  jurisprudence  were  given 
up  to  the  cultivation  of  his  poetical  talents.  As 
might  be  expected,  his  father  was  opposed  to  his 
favorite  pursuit:  nature,  however,  was  too  strong, 
and  it  does  not  appear  that  he  ever  practised  as 
an  advocate  at  the  Roman  bar.  He  studied  at 
Athens,  and  had  the  usual  education  which  the 
young  Roman  nobles  received  at  that  period.  On 
his  return  he  made  an  unfortunate  marriage,  as 
we  find  him  shortly  afterwards  divorced  from  his 
wife.  He  was  of  profligate  character,  and  at  last 
Augustus  banished  him,  it  is  said,  on  account  of 
an  intrigue  with  his  daughter  Julia>  He  was  or- 
dered, A.D.  8,  to  transport  himself  to  Tomi,  a 
town  on  the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea  near  the 
mouth  oi  the  Danube.  The  greater  part  of  a  year 
seems  to  have  been  consumed  in  the  voyage,  but 
he  beguiled  the  time  by  the  exercise  of  his  poet- 
ical talent,  several  of  his  poems  having  been  writ- 
ten on  shipboard.  It  was  a  great  change  from  the 
luxury  of  Rome  to  the  mean  abode  and  inhospita- 
ble soil  of  that  remote  region.  Here  he  remained 
ten  years  in  exile,  and  was  never  allowed  to  re- 
turn, dying  at  Tomi  A.D.  18,  a  year  which  was 
also  remarkable  for  the  death  of  Livy. 

CREATION  OF  MAN. 

A  being  of  a  more  exalted  nature,  and  of  higher 
intellectual  powers,  that  should  rule  and  direct 
all  other  animals,  was  still  wanting.  It  was  then 
that  man  was  brought  into  being,  whether  the 
mighty  Architect  of  the  universe,  having  devel- 
oped a  nobler  world,  made  him  of  divine  particles, 
or  whether  the  new-sprung  earth,  only  lately  with- 
drawn from  contact  with  heaven,  still  retained  the 
skyey  influences.  Prometheus,  mingling  these 
22 


338  OVID. 

original  seeds  with  living  streams,  formed  man 
after  the  image  of  God,  who  rules  the  universe. 
Thus,  while  the  mute  creation  bend  downward, 
man  looks  aloft,  and  with  erect  countenance  turns 
his  eyes  to  heaven  and  gazes  011  the  stars. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  GOLDEN  AGE. 

The  golden  age  was  first  produced;  honor  and 
uprightness  then  sprung  up  spontaneously  in  man, 
without  the  aid  of  law  or  the  commands  of  the 
lawgiver.  The  dread  of  punishment  was  un- 
known, nor  were  the  menacing  words  of  human 
statutes  required  to  keep  man  to  his  duty.  The 
stern  looks  of  the  judge  did  not  then  strike  terror 
into  suppliant  crowds,  but  all  lived  in  safety  with- 
out the  protection  of  law. 

GOLDEN    AGE. 

No  trumpet's  angry  sound  was  heard,  no  helmet 
nor  sword  gleamed,  but  all  nations  passed  in  se- 
curity a  life  of  ease,  unmolested  by  a  rude  soldiery. 

THE  SEASONS  IN  THE  GOLDEN  AGE. 

There  was  a  never-ending  spring,  and  flowers 
unsown  were  kissed  by  the  warm  western  breeze. 
Then  the  unploughed  land  gave  forth  corn,  and 
the  ground  year  after  year,  was  white  with  full 
ears  of  grain.  Rivers  of  milk,  rivers  of  nectar  ran, 
and  the  yellow  honey  continued  to  pour  from  the 
ever-green  oak. 

DESCRIPTION   OF  Tttft  IKON  AGfi. 

Next  burst  forth  the  iron  &ge  with  its  unright- 
eous deeds;  modesty,  truth,  and  honor  forsook 
the  earth*  and  ih  thfeiv  place  succeeded  fraud,  de* 
ceit,  plots,  violence,  and  the  unholy  lust  of  gold. 


OVID.  339 

GOLD   DUG   FROM   THE   EARTH. 

But  men  penetrated  into  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  and  the  precious  ore,  the  allurement  to 
every  evil,  was  dug  up,  though  placed  by  the  gods 
down  close  to  Pluto's  realm. 

JUSTICE   RETURNS   TO   HEAVEN. 

Filial  affection  lies  on  the  ground  in  mournful 
garb,  and  the  virgin  Astraea  was  the  last  of  the 
heavenly  deities  to  leave  the  earth  dripping  with 
human  gore. 

•  JOVE. 

Jove  seated  aloft,  leaning  on  an  ivory  sceptre, 
shook  three  and  four  times  the  terrific  locks  of  his 
head,  with  which  he  moved  the  earth,  the  sea,  and 
the  stars. 

INCURABLE  WOUND. 

Every  remedy  was  first  tried,  but  a  gangrened 
limb  must  be  lopt  off,  lest  the  healthy  part  should 
be  affected. 

CONFLAGRATION   OF   THE   WORLD. 

He  remembers,  too,  that  it  was  decreed  by  Fate 
that  a  time  would  come  when  the  sea,  the  earth, 
and  the  palace  of  heaven  would  be  seized  by  fire 
and  burnt,  and  the  laboriously-wrought  fabric  of 
the  universe  be  in  danger  of  perishing. 

St.  Peter  (2 Peter  iii.  10)  says:— 

"  But  the  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night; 
in  the  which  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise, 
and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  the  earth  also, 
and  the  works  that  are  therein,  shall  be  burnt  up." 

MAN  BORN  TO   LABOR. 

From  this  circumstance  we  are  a  hardy  race, 


340  OVID. 

able  to  endure  a  laborious  life,  and  show  from 
what  origin  we  are  sprung. 

FRIENDLY    DISCOKD. 

Agreeing  to  differ  with  friendly  discord. 

LOVE. 
Ah  me !  that  no  herbs  can  cure  the  love-sick. 

EFFECTS  OF  HOPE   AND  FEAR. 

The  one  is  quick  from  hope,  the  other  from  fear. 

ARGUS. 

Argus  had  his  head  encircled  with  a  hundred 
eyes;  two  of  them  took  rest,  while  the  rest 
watched  and  stood  on  guard. 

JUST  REPROACHES. 

I  am  ashamed  that  these  reproaches  can  be  justly 
cast  at  us,  and  cannot  be  refuted. 

EXCELLENCE. 

The  work  of  the  artist  far  surpassed  even  the 
beauty  of  the  material. 

LIKENESS  OF   SISTERS. 

Doris  and  her  daughters  were  here  carved,  some 
of  whom  are  seen  swimming,  others,  sitting  on  a 
rock,  are  drying  their  sea-green  hair,  others  gliding 
on  fishes'  backs.  All  have  not  the  same  features, 
nor  yet  can  you  say  that  they  are  different,  but 
such  as  sisters  ought  to  be. 

THE   SEASONS. 

Here  stood  fresh  Spring,  bound  with  flowery 
chaplet,  Slimmer  was  unclothed,  and  bore  a 


OVID.  341 

wheaten  garland;  Autumn  also  was  there,  be- 
smeared with  trodden  grapes;  and  icy  Winter, 
rough  with  hoaiy  locks. 

Worsley  ("  Phaethon  ")  thus  describes  the  seasons: — 
"  Spring  flowery -zoned,  and  Summer  wreathed  with  corn, 
Autumn  with  wine-blood  splashed  from  heel  to  thigh, 
And  Winter  bending  over  beard  of  snow." 

MAN  AND  HIS  ASPIRATIONS. 

Thy  destiny  is  that  of  man,  thy  aspirations  are 
those  of  a  god. 

Lamartine  in  his  second  meditation  "  L'Homme,"  dedicated 
to  Lord  Byron,  has  r,his  sublime  verse- — 

"  Bounded  in  his  nature,  infinite  in  his  desires,  man  is  a 
fallen  god  who  has  a  recollection  of  heaven.'' 

Ana  Voltaire  ('•  La  Liberte  ")  says. — 

"  Thy  destiny  is  that  of  man.  and  thy  desires  are  those  of  a 
god." 

EXERTTON. 

I  steer  against  them,  nor  has  the  force,  to  which 
all  others  must  yield,  any  effect  on  me ;  I  move  on 
in  a  direction  contrary  to  the  rapid-whirling  world. 

PRAYERS  NOT  TO  BE  GRANTED. 

Choose  some  gift  from  heaven,  earth,  or  sea, 
and  thou  shalt  have  it.  This  one  thing  only  I  de- 
cline to  grant;  it  is  an  evil  not  a  good  thou  askest, 
Phaethon,  thou  askest  what  will  prove  a  misfort- 
une instead  of  happiness. 

GOLDEN   MEAN. 

Mounting  higher,  thou  wilt  fire  the  heaven  it- 
self; descending  lower,  the  earth;  the  middle  way 
is  safest. 

GREAT   UNDERTAKINGS. 

If  he  did  not  succeed  in  his  attempt,  yet  he 
failed  in  a  glorious  undertaking. 


342  OVID. 

HABIT. 

Habit  had  produced  the  custom. 

GUILT   BETRAYED   IX   THE   COUNTENANCE. 

Alas!  how  difficult  it  is  not  to  betray  guilt  by 
our  countenance ! 

DESCRIPTION  OF  ENVY. 

Minerva  sees  within  Envy  gorging  herself  with 
flesh  of  vipers,  to  nourish  her  vicious  propensities, 
and  when  she  saw,  she  turned  away  her  eyes  in 
loathing;  while  Envy,  rising  slowly  from  the 
ground,  leaves  the  fragments  of  half-eaten  ser- 
pents, and  stalks  on  with  sullen  step.  When  she 
beheld  the  beauteous  goddess  clad  in  armor,  she 
heaved  a  sigh,  and  groaned  from  the  bottom  of 
her  breast.  Her  face  was  pallid  and  her  body 
emaciated.  Her  eye  never  looked  straight  before 
her;  her  teeth  were  brown  with  rust;  her  breast 
overflowed  with  gall,  and  from  her  tongue  dripped 
drops  of  poison.  She  never  smiles  except  when 
the  wretched  weep;  nor  does  she  enjoy  rest; 
ever  kept  moving  by  her  sleepless  cares,  she  sees 
with  evil  eye  the  success  of  men,  and  pines  away 
as  she  beholds;  she  distresses  others,  and  is  her- 
self distressed,  and  bears  her  own  tormentor  in 
her  breast. 

A  STATE   FLOURISHING  IN' PEACE. 

She  looks  upon  the  citadel  flourishing  in  arts, 
wealth,  and  joyous  peace. 

KINGLY  DIGNITY. 

Kingly  dignity  and  love  do  not  well  agree,  nor 
do  they  remain  together. 


OVID.  343 

SPIRIT. 

A  spirit  superior  to  every  hostile  weapon.. 

NO   MAN   BLESSED   BEFORE   HE   DIES. 

But  in  truth  we  must  always  wait  for  the  last 
day  of  man's  life:  no  one  is  to  be  considered  blest 
before  he  die,  and  has  received  the  last  funeral 
rites. 

A  BLUSH. 

The  hue  given  back  by  the  clouds  from  the  re- 
flected rays  of  the  sun  or  the  purple  morn,  such  was 
the  countenance  of  Diana  when  she  was  discovered 
unclothed. 

AN   UMPIRE. 

He  was  chosen  umpire  in  this  sportive  contest. 

ECHO. 

That  tuneful  Nymph,  the  babbling  Echo,  who 
has  not  learnt  to  conceal  what  is  told  her,  nor  yet 
is  able  to  speak  till  another  speaks. 

DEATH   A   RELIEF   FROM   PAIN. 

Death  is  not  grievous  to  me,  who  am  about  to 
lay  aside  my  pains  by  death, 

A  COWARD. 

It  is  the  act  of  a  cowaid  to  wish  for  death. 

THE   CAUSE. 

The  cause  is  secret,  but  th'  effect  is  known. 

A   LESSON   FROM   AN  ENEMY. 

The  foe  teaches  me  what  to  do ;  it  is  allowable 
to  be  taught  even  by  an  enemy. 


344  OVID. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  STYX. 

The  sluggish  Styx  exhales  its  fogs;  those  just 
dead,  who  have  enjoyed  funeral  rites,  descend 
hither:  paleness  and  wintry  cold  inhabit  this 
dreary  place ;  ghosts  newly  arrived  know  not  the 
road  that  leads  to  grim  Pluto's  palace,  nor  where 
is  the  metropolis  of  hell.  This  mighty  city  has  a 
thousand  avenues  and  gates  forever  open.  And 
as  the  rivers  flow  all  into  the  ocean,  so  this  vast 
city  receives  all  the  shades;  nor  is  there  ever 
want  of  room,  nor  is  it  ever  crowded.  The  disem- 
bodied spirits  roam  bloodless;  and  in  imitation  of 
their  life  on  earth,  some  frequent  the  courts  of 
law,  others  the  court  of  hell's  tyrant,  others  prac- 
tise various  arts,  and  others  suffer  the  punishment 
due  to  their  crimes. 

TANTALUS. 

Tantalus,  no  water  is  caught  by  thee,  and  the 
tree,  which  overhangs  thy  head,  eludes  thy  grasp. 

UNCEASING  LABOR. 

Thou,  Sisyphus,  either  pursuest  or  pushest  for- 
ward the  stone,  that  is  destined  to  fall  back  again. 

LOVE   AT   FIRST   SIGHT. 

No  sooner  was  she  seen  than  she  was  beloved 
and  carried  off  by  Pluto. 

BEYOND   FORTUNE. 

I  am  on  a  higher  pinnacle  than  fortune  can 
reach. 

COMMON  RIGHTS. 

Why  do  you  debar  me  from  water  ?  surely  this 
is  a  common  right;  nature  hath  given  no  man  a 


OVID.  345 

peculiar  property  in  sun,  air,  or  water:  I  have 
come  to  crave  a  bounty  that  is  shared  by  all. 

A  CUP   OF    COLD   WATER. 

A  cup  of  cold  water  will  be  nectar  to  me,  and  I 
shall  confess  that  I  have  received  life  with  it;  you 
will  have  given  me  life  by  the  water. 

BLINDNESS    OF    MANKIND. 

O  ye  gods !  what  thick  encircling  darkness  blinds 
the  minds  of  men ! 

THE   EVIL   THAT   I   WOULD    NOT,   THAT   I  DO. 

If  it  were  in  my  power,  I  would  be  wiser,  but  a 
newly-felt  power  carries  me  off  in  spite  of  myself; 
love  leads  me  one  way,  my  understanding  leads 
me  another.  I  see  and  approve  the  right,  and  yet 
the  wrong  pursue. 

POETRY. 

For  what  cannot  poetry  accomplish  ? 

PLEASURE  FOLLOWED  BY  GRIEF. 

No*  one  enjoys  pure,  unalloyed  pleasure;  there 
is  always  some  bitter  mingled  with  the  sweet. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Antig.  14)  says: — 

"  Be  not  willing  to  grieve  thyself,  knowing  that  grief  often 
brings  joy  afterwards,  and  evil  is  the  proximate  cause  of 
good." 

CONTAGION. 

Contagion  is  hurtful  by  breath,  and  is  carried 
thereby  to  a  distance. 

PESTILENCE:. 

The  nearer  one  is  to  the  sick,  and  the  more 
faithfully  he  is  watched,  the  quicker  the  watcher 


843  OVID. 

approaches  death.  The  hope  of  safety  has  van- 
ished, and  they  see  the  end  of  the  disease  in  the 
deaths  around. 

THE  EFFEMINACY  OF    MAN. 

They  indulge  themselves  and  care  not  for  what 
is  useful. 

THE  CIJEDULJTY  OF  LOVE. 

Love  is  a  credulous  thing. 

FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BRAVE. 

Every  one  without  doubt  becomes  his  own  god 
to  lead  him  on  to  fortune:  that  goddess  listens 
not  to  the  prayers  of  the  slothful. 

MURDER. 

Death  is  to  be  expatiated  by  death. 

CONQUER    AT    ALL   HAZARDS. 

You  will  with  difficulty  conquer,  but  conquer 
you  must ! 

THE  POWER    OF    HEAVEN.  • 

The  power  of  heaven  is  immeasurable  and 
boundless,  accomplishing  whatever  it  wills. 

So  1  Chronicles  xxix.  12: — 

"  Thou  reignest  over  all;  and  in  Thine  hand  is  power  and 
might." 

THE   RIGHTEOUS. 

The  pious  are  cared  for  by  the  gods,  and  those 
are  attended  to,  who  have  attended  to  their  duties 
to  the  gods. 

So  Hebrews  xiii.  4: — 

"  The  Lord  is  my  helper,  and  I  will  not  fear  what  man  shall 
do  unto  inft." 


OVID.  347 

FKIGID    ZONE. 

There  is  an  icy  zone  on  the  extreme  borders  of 
Scythia,  a  melancholy  waste,  barren  and  treeless; 
there  dwell  sluggish  cold,  pallid  looks,  trembling 
ague,  and  pining  want. 

DESCRIPTION    OF  FAMINE. 

There  she  found  Famine  in  a  stony  field,  scratch- 
ing up  a  few  roots  with  her  talons  and  teeth. 
Her  locks  were  matted,  her  eyes  were  sunken; 
paleness  overspread  her  face;  her  lips  were  wan 
from  want,  her  teeth  brown  with  rust;  her  skin 
was  hard,  and  through  it  the  entrails  were  seen  to 
move ;  the  sapless  bones  seemed  to  start  from  her 
bent  loins,  and  for  a  belly  was  a  belly's  space. 
Thou  wouldst  have  supposed  that  her  breast  was 
bung  up  and  tacked  to  her  body  only  by  the  chine 
of  the  back.  Her  joints  were  protuberant  from 
leanness,  the  orbits  of  her  knees  bunched  out, 
while  her  ankle  bones  jutted  to  undue  propor- 
tions. 

THE    POWER  OF    RECOLLECTION. 

The  power  of  recollection  is  a  part  of  our  pain. 

THE    GRAVE. 

I  entreat  you  by  the  horrors  of  these  realms, 
this  vast  chaos  and  kingdom  where  silence  reigns, 
give  back  Eurydiee,  weave  again  her  quick-spun 
thread.  All  our  possessions  are  but  loans  from 
you,  and  after  a  little  space,  sooner  or  later  we 
hasten  to  one  bourn ;  we  are  all  going  the  same 
road,  this  is  our  last  home ;  you  hold  an  endless 
empire  over  the  human  race.  She,  too,  when  she 
shall  have  reached  a  ripe  old  age,  must  be  yours 
again. 


348  OVID. 

TIME   PASSES   RAPIDLY. 

Swift  flying  time  glides  on  unmarked  and  un- 
perceived;  nothing    passes   more    quickly    than 
years. 
Dryden  says:— 

"  Old  age  creeps  on  us,  ere  we  think  it  nigh." 
And  Moore : — 

"  Oh,  sweet  youth,  how  soon  it  fades! 
i  Sweet  joys  of  youth  how  fleeting ! " 

BLACK  LOOK  WHITE,    AND   WHITE   LOOK   BLACK. 

Skilled  in  every  artifice,  no  degenerate  son  of 
his  father,  he  could  at  will  make  white  look  black 
and  black  look  white. 

This  is  the  description  of  Belial  by  Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost," 
book  ii):— 

"  All  was  false  and  hollow ;  though  his  tongue 
Dropt  manna,  and  could  make  the  worse  appear 
The  better  reason,  to  perplex  and  dash 
Maturest  counsels;  for  his  thoughts  were  low: 
To  vice  industrious,  but  to  nobler  deeds 
Timorous  and  slothful." 

THE   SEVERITY   OF   WINTER. 

The  violence  of  winter  increases,  and  on  all 
sides  fierce  winds  struggle  and  clash  the  indignant 
waves. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  SLEEP. 

Near  the  Cimmerians  there  is  a  deep  cavern 
in  the  hollow  of  a  mountain,  where  dwells  the 
drowsy  god  of  sleep;  whose  gloomy  mansion  is 
never  visited  by  the  rising,  mid-day,  nor  setting 
sun.  Dark  fogs  rise,  and  a  perpetual  twilight  pre- 
vails around.  No  crowing  cock  with  crested  head 
wakes  the  morn,  nor  is  the  silence  broken  by  the 
bark  of  watchful  dog,  or  the  cackling  of  more 
wakeful  geese.  No  beast,  wild  or  tame,  no  trees 


OVID.  3*9 

rocked  by  tempest,  nor  reproachful  sound  of  hu- 
man voice,  strike  upon  the  ear.  Mute  silence  has 
its  habitation  here.  Yet  from  the  bottom  of  a 
rock  xssues  forth  the  rivulet  of  Lethe ;  the  waters 
of  which,  flowing  with  soft  murmur  over  the  rum- 
bling pebbles,  invite  to  sleep,  Around  its  entry 
nodding  poppies  grow  and  herbs  without  number, 
from  whose  milky  sap  night  drains  their  sleepy 
virtue,  and  scatters  it  in  dew  over  the  silent 
plains  No  door  on  creaking  hinges  was  in  the 
w'bole  house;  no  watch  was  there  to  guard  the 
entrance.  But  in  the  middle  was  a  bed,  raised 
aloft  on  black  ebony,  stuffed  with  feathers,  of  one 
color,  with  a  dark  coverlet,  where  lies  the  god 
himself  with  his  limbs  stretched  out  at  ease. 
Around  him  everywhere  fantastic  dreams,  imitat- 
ing, various  shapes,  lie  numerous  as  the  ears  of 
grain,  the  leaves  on  trees,  or  sand  on  the  sea- 
shore. 

DESCRIPTION  OF   FAME. 

tfame  has  her  seat  of  power  on  the  summit  of  a 
lofty  tower;  entrances  without  number,  and  a 
thousand  avenues  lead  to  her  palace,  while  no 
closed  doors  prevent  approach;  night  and  day 
they  stand  open.  It  is  wholly  built  of  rattling 
brass,  rumbling  and  giving  back  echoes  on  echoes. 
Quiet  there  is  none  within,  nor  silence,  nor  yet  is 
there  clamorous  noise,  but  a  low  murmur  of  hum- 
ming voices,  like  the  hollow  roar  of  the  ocean's 
waters  or  the  sound  of  distant  thunders,  when 
Jupitei-  clashes  the  dark  clouds  together.  A 
crowd  occupies  the  halls,  a  light  throng  entering 
or  issuing  forth:  a  thousand  rumors,  mixed  with 
truth,  wander  through  the  air,  and  a  confused 
sound  of  words  rolls  around.  Some  fill  the  ears 
with  empty  sounds;  others  eagerly  repeat  what 


350  OVID. 

they  have  heard,  amplifying  the  lie  they  are  re- 
lating, while  every  story-teller  adds  some  embel- 
lishment. Here  sit  vain  credulity,  rash  error, 
foolish  joys,  panic  fears,  sudden  sedition,  and 
whispers  of  uncertain  origin.  Fame  sits  aloft,  be- 
holding what  is  done  in  heaven,  sea,  and  earth, 
and  searching  through  the  whole  world. 
Pope,  in  his  "  Temple  of  Fame,"  says: — 

"  Like  broken  thunders  that  at  distance  roar, 
Or  billows  murmuring  on  the  hollov  shore." 

THE   UKN. 

Now  he  is  nothing  but  ashes,  and  of  the  mighty 
Achilles  there  remains  only  some  little  dust,  which 
cannot  so  much  as  fill  an  urn :  yet  his  fame  still 
lives  so  as  to  fill  a  whole  world.  This  is  the  meas- 
ure that  corresponds  with  such  a  hero;  in  this 
Achilles. is  equal  to  himself,  nor  has  Tartarus  with 
its  empty  shades  any  effect  on  him. 

THE  GODS. 

The  gods  look  on  the  affairs  of  men  with  the 
eyes  of  justice. 

DEEDS  OF  ANCESTORS. 

Let  not  this  eloquence  of  mine,  if  I  really  pos- 
sess any,  now  speaking  in  defence  of  its  master,  and 
which  has  often  been  used  for  you,  be  deemed  a 
fault ;  let  not  any  one  decline  to  use  what  is  his 
own.  For  high  descent,  a  lon^r  line  of  ancestors 
and  those  deeds  which  we  ourselves  have  not  per- 
formed, I  can  scarcely  call  our  own. 

Ben  Jonson  ("Every  Man  in  his  Humor,"  act  i.)  adopts 
this  idea.— 

"  I  would  have  you 
Not  stand  so  much  on  your  gentility, 
Which  is  an  airy  and  mere  borrow'd  thing 


OVID.  a^i 

From  dead  men's  dust  and  bones'  and  none  of  yours 
Except  you  make  and  hold  it  " 
And  Young  ("  Love  of  Fame,"  Sat.  i.  1.  147)  says: — 
•  •  Thoy  that  on  glorious  ancestors  enlarge, 

Produce  their  debt  instead  of  their  discharge." 
Tennyson  says:— 

'•  Fall  back  upon  a  name  ?  rest,  rot  in  that  ? 

Nor  keep  it  nobls,  make  it  nobler  ?    Fools ! " 
"  He   is   the  best  gentleman  who  is  the  son  of  his  OWE 
deserts." 

MIXD  IS  THE  MAN. 

Thy  right  arm  indeed  is  powerful  in  war;  it  is 
thy  mind  that  requires  our  guidance.  Brawn 
without  mind  is  thine,  but  it  is  mine  to  look  be- 
fore and  after.  Thy  province  is  to  fight ;  the  king 
takes  counsel  with  me,  when  and  how  the  battle 
is  to  be  conducted.  Thy  body  only  is  of  profit; 
it  is  my  mental  powers  that  are  regarded.  By 
how  much  more  the  ship  owes  her  safety  to  him 
that  steers  than  him  who  only  rows,  by  how  much 
more  the  captain  merits  praise  than  he  who  fights, 
so  much  greater  is  my  worth  than  thine.  It  is 
the  mind  that  makes  the  man,  and  our  vigor  is  in 
our  immortal  spirit. 
Vatt's  ("  Horas  Lyricae,"  bk.  ii.,  "  False  Greatness  "):  -  • 

"  The  mind's  the  standard  of  man." 
And  Burns  ("Is  there  for  Honest  Poverty  "): — 
"  The  rank  is  but  the  guinea  stamp, 

The  man's  the  gowd  for  a'  that." 
And  Wycherley  ("The  Country  Wife,"  act  i.  sc.  1):— 
''  1  weigh  the  man,  not  his  title;  'tis  not  the  king's  stamp 
can  make  the  metal  better." 
And  Goldsmith  ("  The  Traveller,"  1.  372):— 
"  For  just  experience  tells  in  every  soil, 
That  those  that  think  must  govern  those  that  toil." 

GEIEF. 

Grief  conquers  the  unconquered  man. 


352  OFID. 

THE  POOB    MAN. 

It  is  the  proof  of  a  poor  man  when  ha  can  count 
his  herds. 

THE  MIND'S  EYE. 

His  mind  penetrated  to  the  immortal  gods, 
though  far  remote  in  heaven,  and  what  nature 
denied  to  his  visual  orhs,  he  was  able  to  overtake 
by  his  mind's  eye  in  the  depth  of  his  breast. 

DEATH  AN  IDLE  THING. 

O  race  of  man,  affrighted  by  the  thoughts  of 
cold  death !  What  do  you  find  to  dread  in  Styx, 
the  darkness  of  the  grave,  all  an  empty  name,  mere 
themes  for  poets,  and  fables  of  a  world  that  never 
was !  Whether  the  body  be  consumed  by  fire  or 
moulder  away  in  the  ground,  think  not  that  it  suf- 
fers. It  is  the  soul  that  is  undying,  which,  when 
it  has  left  its  former  habitation,  dwells  forever  in 
new  abodes,  and  repeats  new  life  in  other  forms. 

THE    SOTJL. 

All  things  are  subject  to  change,  but  nothing 
dies.  The  disembodied  spirit  wanders  at  large, 
here  and  there,  lodging  in  any  body,  from  beast 
pasing  into  man,  from  man  to  beast  and  never 
perishing.  And  as  the  softened  wax  rceives  new 
impressions,  remaining  not  as  it  was,  nor  always 
retaining  the  same  forms,  though  the  wax  is  still 
the  same  material,  so  it  is  with  the  soul. 

TIME    IN  PEKPETUAL    FLUX. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  world  that  remains  un- 
changed. All  things  are  in  perpetual  flux,  and 
every  shadow  is  seen  to  move.  Even  time  itself 
glides  on  in  constant  movement,  like  the  waters 


OVID.  353 

of  a  river.  For  the  stream  stops  not,  nor  yet  the 
flying  hour ;  and  as  wave  is  impelled  by  wave,  the 
one  behind  pressing  on  that  before,  so  do  the 
minutes  run  and  urge  the  predecessor  minutes, 
still  moving,  ever  new;  for  what  was  before  is  set 
aside,  and  becomes  as  it  had  not  been,  and  every 
moment  innovates  on  what  preceded  it. 

Nicostratus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  639,  M.)  says:— 

"  Old  things  become  again  new  through  time:  there  is  noth- 
ing more  difficult  to  please  than  Time:  the  same  things  never 
please  this  god." 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.p.  1087,  M.)  says:— 

"Time  is  a  workman  in  the  state,  my  friend:  it  takes 
pleasure  to  change  all  things  for  the  worse."  The  first  Napo- 
leon, when  writing  on  the  subject  of  the  poor  laws  to  his  Min- 
ister of  the  Interior,  said:— "It  is  melancholy  to  see  Time 
passing  away  without  being  put  to  its  full  value.  Surely  in  a 
matter  of  this  kind  we  should  endeavor  to  do  something,  that 
we  may  say  that  we  have  lived,  that  we  have  not  lived  in  vain, 
that  we  may  leave  some  impress  of  ourselves  on  the  sands  of 
Time." 

Longfellow,  in  one  of  iiis  poems,  has  the  same  expression, 
"  Footsteps  on  the  sands  of  Time." 

And  the  French  say  very  beautifully: — 

"  More  inconstant  than  the  wave  and  the  cloud,  time  flies: 
why  regret  it?  " 

THE   SEASONS. 

What!  perceivest  thou  not  that  the  year  has  its 
four  seasons,  in  imitation  of  human  life?  For  the 
fresh  Spring,  like  infancy,  is  tender  and  full  of 
milky  juice.  Then  the  green  herb  swells,  though 
weak  and  without  substance,  yet  feeding  the 
farmer's  eyes  with  hope.  All  things  put  on  beau- 
teous attire,  and  universal  nature  crowned  with 
flowerets  laughs  with  joy:  and  yet  there  is  no 
strength  in  the  leaves  and  stems.  Next  in  suc- 
cession comes  Summer  of  maturer  age,  ripening 
into  man;  no  age  is  more  powerful,  more  replete 
with  the  juices  of  life,  or  where  the  heat  of  youth 
23 


354  OVID. 

is  more  exciting.  Then  conies  Autumn,  staid  and 
sober,  midway  between  youth  and  old  age,  with 
brown  locks  mixed  with  gray.  Last  of  all  Winter 
creeps  along  with  palsied  step,  with  bald  pate 
or  white  locks,  if  there  be  any.  Even  our  own 
bodies  are  daily  changing,  and  without  a  moment's 
pause,  nor  shall  we  be  to-morrow  what  we  have 
been  and  are. 

TIME. 

Devouring  Time  and  envious  Age,  all  things  yield 
to  you,  and  with  lingering  death  you  destroy  step 
by  step  with  venomed  tooth  whatever  you  attack. 

Spenser,  in  his  "  Faerie  Queen  "  (iv.  2,  23),  says: — 

"  But  wicked  Time,  that  all  good  thoughts  doth  waste, 
And  works  of  noblest  wits  to  naught  outwear, 
That  famous  monument  hath  quite  defaced, 
And  robb'd  the  world  of  treasure  endless  dear, 
The  which  might  have  enriched  all  us  here, 
Oh  cursed  eld,  the  canker-worm  of  writs! 
How  may  these  rhymes,  so  rude  as  doth  appear, 
Hope  to  endure,  sith  works  of  heavenly  wits 
Are  quite  devour'd,  and  brought  to  naught  by  little  bits  I " 

DEATH. 

To  be  born  is  to  begin  to  be  some  other  thing 
that  we  were  not  formerly,  and  to  die  is  to  cease 
to  be  the  thing  we  were  before,  while  those  very 
elements,  which  we  partook  alive,  are  transferred 
to  other  bodies  when  we  are  dead,  and  the  ele- 
ments of  others  are  transferred  to  us,  yet  all  sub- 
stances endure  forever. 

NATIONS. 

So  we  see  that  nations  are  changed  by  time; 
they  flourish  and  decay;  by  turns  command,  and 
in  their  turns  obey. 


OVID.  355 

A    PBAYEB    FOE  A    FBIEXD'S  LIFE. 

May  the  day  of  thy  death  arrive  slowly,  and  be 
later  than  cur  time. 

FAME   OF   POET. 

My  work  is  done,  impervious  to  Jove's  ire,  fire, 
war,  or  wasting  age.  Let  the  day,  which  has  no 
power  except  over  this  body  of  mine,  close  my 
life  when  it  will,  yet  my  nobler  part,  my  fame, 
shall  soar  aloft  to  the  skies,  and  to  distant  ages 
my  name  shall  nourish,  and  wherever  Rome's  un- 
bounded power  holds  sway,  there  I  shall  pass 
from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  adown  all  time  shall 
live  my  deathless  fame,  if  it  is  allowed  for  poets 
to  divine. 

Byron  ("  Childe  Harold,"  cant,  iv.,  st.  9)  says:— 

"  I  twine 

My  hopes  of  being  remember'd  in  my  line 
With  my  land's  language;  if  too  fond  and  far 

These  aspirations  in  their  scope  incline, 
If  my  fame  should  be  as  my  fortunes  are, 
Of  hasty  growth  and  blight,  and  dull  oblivion  bar 

My  name  from  out  the  temple  where  the  dead 
Are  honor'd  by  the  nations— let  it  be— 

And  light  the  laurels  on  a  loftier  headl 
And  be  the  Spartan's  epitaph  on  me, 
'  Spartan  hath  many  a  worthier  son  than  he.'  " 

THE    LUST    OF   RICHES. 

Wealth  has  accumulated  and  the  maddening 
lust  of  wealth,  and  however  much  man  possess 
they  still  long  for  more.  They  vie  with  each 
other  to  acquire  what  they  may  lavish,  and  when 
they  have  lavished  their  possessions  they  try  to 
obtain  them  again;  and  the  very  vicissitudes  of 
life  form  food  for  their  vices. 

1  Timothy  vi.  9  :— 

"  But  they  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation,  and  a  snare, 


356  OVID. 

and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which  drown  men  in 
destruction  and  perdition." 

MOXEY. 

Money  nowadays  is  in  high  repute:  money  con- 
fers offices  of  state,  money  procures  friendship: 
everywhere  the  poor  man  is  despised. 

Timocles  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  810,  M.)  says:— 

"Money  is  the  blood  and  life  of  men:  whoever  has  it  not 
nor  has  been  able  to  get  it,  is  like  a  dead  man  walking  among 
the  living." 

•      JUSTICE. 

The  wickedness  of  man  had  not  yet  put  Justice 
to  flight;  she  was  the  last  of  the  heavenly  deities 
to  forsake  the  earth. 

ASTRONOMERS. 

Happy  souls,  the  first  who  studied  these  mighty 
themes  and  mounted  to  the  celestial  regions!  We 
may  well  believe  that  they  soared  far  above  hu- 
man vices  and  this  lower  world.  Neither  love  nor 
wine  exercised  disturbing  influences,  nor  yet  the 
anxieties  of  the  Forum,  nor  the  labors  of  warfare; 
their  mind  was  free  from  vain  ambition  and  the 
desire  of  fame  got  at  the  cannon's  mouth  and  the 
envy  of  boundless  riches.  They  brought  far  dis- 
tant stars  within  our'  ken,  and  the  heaven  itself 
was  made  subject  to  our  understanding:  in  this 
way  men  attain  to  heaven. 

A  LOVER. 

Her  he  wishes,  for  her  he  longs,  for  her  alone- 
he  sighs:  he  makes  signs  to  her  by  nods,  and  tries 
to  attract  her  attention  by  gestures. 

A    DISDAINFUL    BEAUTY". 

Cold  disdain  is  found  in  the  fair,  and  a  haughty 


OVID.  357 

demeanor  is  the  accompaniment  of  beauty.    By 
her  looks  she  despises  and  scorns  him. 

CONSCIENCE. 

According  as  the  conscience  suggests  to  each 
man,  so  hope  and  fears  start  up  from  his  deeds. 

THE   BRAVE   MAN. 

The  brave  find  a  home  in  every  land,  as  fish 
possess  the  sea  and  birds  the  air.  Nor  does  tem- 
pestuous weather  always  last:  believe  me,  the 
warmth  of  spring  will  again  reappear. 

PEACE. 

Wars  lie  long  confined  in  adamantine  chains 
beneath  our  feet.  Our  oxen  now  again  may 
plough  the  land,  and  the  yellow  corn  wave  over 
our  fields.  It  is  peace  that  brings  plenty.  Plenty 
is  the  foster-child  of  Peace. 

ATONEMENT. 

Ah!  weak  beings,  who  think  that  the  deep 
stains  of  murder  can  be  washed  out  by  the  multitu- 
dinous waters  of  the  ocean ! 

THE    STATESMAN    WHO    IMAGINES     THAT    HE    CAN 
COMMAND   THE    CHANNEL    FLEET. 

What  hast  thou  to  do  with  the  sword?  Steers- 
man, look  to  the  veering  bark:  these  are  not  the 
instruments  that  suit  thy  hands. 

THE    PIOUS. 

God  regards  the  works  of  the  righteous. 

So  Genesis  iv.  4:— 

"  And  tlie  Lord  had  respect  unto  Abel  and  to  his  offering." 


358  OVID. 

THE  NOD  OF  JOVE. 

Jove  had  nodded ;  both  poles  trembled  at  his 
nod,  and  Atlas  felt  the  weight  of  heaven. 

MAN'S    STATE  OF  LIFE. 

Remain  in  that  state  of  life,  in  which  God  hath 
placed  thee. 

WORDS  AND    REALITY. 

There  is  no  use  of  words;  believe  what  is  be- 
fore your  eyes. 

BLIND   TO   MISFORTUNES. 

What  ignorance  attends  the  human  mind ! 

THE   SWALLOW. 

Are  we  deceived  ?  or  is  the  swallow  come  the 
harbinger  of  spring  ? 

DELAY. 
Put  off:  a  short  delay  is  of  great  advantage. 

PICTURE  OF  RURAL  HAPPINESS. 

The  peasants  gather  together  and  enjoy  them- 
selves over  a  joyous  glass  of  wine,  lying  at  ease 
on  the  green  grass,  each  with  his  sweetheart. 

SCHOOLMASTERS   CHEATED  OF  THEIR  PAY. 

Neither  do  you,  schoolmasters,  a  set  too  often 
cheated  of  your  wages,  despise  the  goddess  Mi- 
nerva; it  is  she  that  brings  you  new  pupils. 

FALSE   REPORTS. 

The  mind,  conscious  of  innocence,  laughs  to 
scorn  false  reports  that  throw  suspicion  on  our 
fame :  but  we  are  all  of  us  a  set  only  too  ready  to 
lend  an  ear  to  scandal  about  our  neighbors. 


OVID.  359 

MAN  UNLUCKY  FOR  MARRIAGE. 

For  tliis  reason,  if  you  listen  to  proverbs,  let  me 
tell  you  that  the  vulgar  say,  Unlucky  are  the 
wives  that  wed  in  May. 

HALF  MORE  THAN  THE  WHOLE. 

Divide  the  heaven,  which  thou  givest  to  me 
alone,  between  us  both:  the  half  will  be  more 
than  the  whole. 

INSPIRATION. 

A  god  has  his  abode  within  our  breast;  when 
he  rouses  us,  the  glow  of  inspiration  warms  us; 
this  holy  rapture  springs  from  the  seeds  of  the 
divine  mind  sown  in  man. 

HOW   SLEEP   IS   INDUCED. 

Sleep  is  induced  by  time,  movements,  and  wine. 

TIME  PASSES  QUICKLY. 

Time  rolls  011  and  old  age  creeps  upon  us  in  the 
unmarked  lapse  of  years :  days  rush  on  without  a 
rein  to  check  them. 

So  Jobxiv.  1:— 

"  Man  that  is  born  of  a  woman  is  of  few  days,  and  full  of 
trouble." 

LIFE  THE   GIFT  OF  GOD. 

I  reckon  this  also,  that  I  live,  to  be  the  gift  of 
God. 

MAY  I  DIE  IN  MY  HOME. 

May  it  be  granted  to  die  in  my  native  home. 

THE   DUTIES   OF   A  JUDGE. 

The  judge's  duty  is  to  weigh  the  circumstances 
as  well  as  the  times. 


360  OVID. 

WHAT  THE  POET  EEQUIKE8. 

The  writer  of  poetry  requires  the  quiet  of  re- 
tirement from  the  world. 

A  BURNT  CHILD  DREADS  THE  FIRE. 

The  dove,  that  has  once  been  wounded  by  thy 
talons,  O  hawk,  is  frightened  by  the  least  move- 
ment of  the  wing. 


The  deeds  of  men  never  escape  the  all-seeing 
eyes  of  the  Almighty. 

THE   FAVOB  OF  GOD. 

If  God  be  my  friend  I  cannot  be  wretched. 

FALSE   FRIENDS. 

For  as  yellow  gold  is  tried  by  fire,  so  do  mo- 
ments of  adversity  prove  the  strength  of  friend- 
ship. While  fortune  is  friendly  and  smiles  with 
serene  countenance,  crowds  surround  the  rich; 
but  when  heaven's  thunder  rolls,  they  vanish,  nor 
has  he  one  who  knows  him,  though  lately  en- 
circled by  troops  of  boon  companions. 

So  1  Peter  i.  6,  7:— 

"  Though  now  for  a  season  ...  ye  are  in  heaviness  through 
manifold  temptations:  that  the  trial  of  your  faith,  being 
much  more  precious  than  of  gold  that  perisheth,  though  it 
be  tried  with  fire." 

A  FRIEND  TO   MY   FORTUNE,   NOT  TO   ME. 

The  rest  of  the  crowd  were  friends  to  my  fort- 
une, not  to  me. 

Claude-Mennet  says  very  beautifully: — 
"  The  friends  of  the  present  day  are  of  the  nature  of  melons; 
we  must  try  fifty  before  we  meet  with  a  good  one." 


OVID.  361 

NUMEROUS  AS  THE   STAKS   OF  HEAVEN. 

I  have  suffered  as  many  woes  as  there  are  stars 
in  heaven,  or  as  atoms  in  the  dry  dust. 

FRIENDSHIP'S  SACRED  NAME. 

Is  the  holy  and  revered  name  of  friendship  de- 
spised by  thee  and  trodden  under  foot  ? 

PROSPERITY. 

%  Whilst  thou  art  favored,  by  fortune,  thou  shalt 
have  troops  of  friends;  when  storms  blow,  thou 
shalt  find  thyself  alone.  Thou  seest  how  doves 
flock  to  new-built  houses,  while  the  tower  in  ruins 
is  shunned.  Never  do  ants  frequent  the  empty 
barn;  no  friend  comes  to  him  that  is  in  want. 
As  the  shadow  attends  the  sun  and  disappears 
when  it  is  clouded,  so  do  the  fickle  mob  attend  on 
fortune's  light,  but  pass  away  when  clouds  over- 
cast the  sky. 

THE   TRUE   MODE   OF   PROPHECY. 

Reason  is  my  only  means  of  knowing  and  pre- 
dicting the  future;  by  it  I  have  divined  and  ac- 
quired my  knowledge. 

IMAGES  OF  DEATH. 

Wherever  I  look,  there  is  nothing  seen  but  the 
images  of  death. 

THE  TERRORS  OF  THE   DEEP. 

The  land  has  more  objects  of  fear  than  the 
boisterous  ocean. 

SINNERS. 

If  Jupiter  were  to  hurl  his  thunderbolt  as  oft 
as  men  sinned,  he  would  soon  have  no  thunderbolt 
to  hurl. 


362  OVID. 

So  Psalm  ciii.  8:— 

"  The  Lord  is  merciful  and  gracious,  slow  to  anger,  and 
plenteous  in  mercy." 

THE  WIDOW'S   MITE. 

But  yet  as  God  is  propitiated  by  the  blood  of  a 
hundred  bulls,  so  also  is  He  by  the  smallest  offer- 
ing of  incense. 

ADVERSITY. 

When  a  house,  with  loosened  foundations,  begins 
to  sink,  the  whole  weight  rests  on  the  portion 
that  has  given  way;  all  things  totter,  when  fortune 
has  once  made  £11  opening.  The  very  house  some- 
times falls  under  its  own  weight. 

GOD. 

Jupiter  has  no  time  to  attend  to  unimportant 
matters. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Incert.  86)  says:— 

"  For  God  attends  to  important  matters,  the  small  He  leaves 
to  fortune." 

THE  ADVANTAGEOUS   MAY  ALSO  BE    INJURIOUS. 

There  is  nothing  advantageous  which  may  not 
also  be  injurious. 

EVERY  BLESSING  MAY  BE  ABUSED. 

What  is  more  useful  than  fire?  And  yet,  if  any 
one  prepares  to  burn  a  house,  it  is  with  fire  that 
he  arms  his  rash  hands. 


MEDICINE. 

Medicine  sometimes  destroys,  sometimes  gives 
health :  it  shows  the  herb  that  assists  and  that 
which  hurts. 


OVID.  363 

THE  SWORD  MAY  BE  USED  FOB  A    GOOD    OB    BAD 
PURPOSE. 

Both  the  robber  and  the  wary  traveller  gird 
themselves  with  the  sword :  the  one  carries  it  for 
the  purposes  of  crime,  and  the  latter  as  his  means 
of  defence. 

THE  BAD. 

All  things  can  lead  astray  those  ill-inclined. 

AN   INOFFENSIVE   POET. 

I  have  lampooned  no  one  in  satirical  verse,  nor 
do  my  poems  hold  up  any  one  to  ridicule. 

FLY  HIGH  THINGS. 

Live  to  thyself,  and  fly  far  from  high  fortune. 

PBEFER  AN  OBSCUKE  LIFE. 

The  lowest  yards  escape  the  winter's  storms, 
while  flowing  sails  are  the  cause  of  greater  fear. 

A  QUIET   LIFE   IS   BEST. 

Believe  me,  he  who  has  passed  a  quiet  inoffen- 
sive life,  unknown  to  the  world,  has  lived  well; 
each  man  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  the  lot  as- 
signed him. 

So  1  Timothy  vi.  8:— 

1 '  And  having  food  and  raiment,  let  us  be  therewith  content. ' ' 


Live  thou  unenvied  and  spend  joyous  years  un- 
known to  fame,  and  have  friends  such  as  are  suit- 
able to  thee. 

THOUGHTS   OF   A  DISTANT   HOME. 

Before  my  mind's  eye  flit  my  home,  the  city, 


864  OVID. 

and  each  well-known  spot:  and  to  each  place  I  at- 
tach what  is  naturally  occurring. 

THE   NOBLE-MINDED. 

The  greatest  men  are  placable  in  wrath :  a  gen- 
erous mind  is  less  easily  excited  to  anger.  The 
noble-minded  lion  spares  the  prostrate ;  the  fight 
is  at  an  end  when  his  enemy  lies  before  him.  But 
the  wolf  and  the  vile  bear  trample  on  the  dying, 
and  every  animal,  that  is  mean  and  treacherous, 
does  the  same. 

OLD  AGE. 

"Wasting  old  age  will  place  its  hand  on  beauty, 
advancing  with  noiseless  step. 

THE  BODY  SUFFERS  FROM  THE  MIND. 

The  diseases  of  the  mind  impair  the  bodily  pow- 
ers. 

ELOQUENCE. 

In  easy  matters  every  one  can  speak;  little 
strength  is  required  to  break  the  bruised  reed. 
To  throw  down  towers  and  walls  that  stand, 
shows  innate  force.  Even  the  feeble  can  push 
over  what  totters. 

MUSIC  LIGHTENS  LABOR. 

Even  the  miner,  while  clanking  his  chains, 
sings  as  he  lightens  his  labor  with  untaught 
music:  he  too  sings,  who  bending  low  on  the  oozy 
sand,  drags  the  slow  barge  against  the  stream. 

PUBLIC  INTERESTS  ARE  ABOVE  PRIVATE. 

Public  interests  will  outweigh  those  of  private 
individuals. 


OVID.  365 

TEARS, 

It  is  some  relief  to  weep ;  grief  is  satisfied  and 
carried  off  by  tears. 

Euripides  (Fr.  CEnon,  5)  says:— 

"  But  there  is  even  in  misfortunes  a  pleasure  to  mortals 
while  they  weep  and  shed  tears.  This  assuages  grief,  and  is 
wont  to  relieve  the  excessive  pangs  of  the  heart." 

And  in  the  notes  of  Eustathius  to  Iliad  (i.  349)  we  find  this 
Greek  proverb:— 

"  The  good  are  full  of  tears." 

MAN'S   CHARACTER   MADE   KNOWN  BY  ADVERSITY. 

Who  would  have  heard  of  Hector,  if  Troy  had 
been  fortunate  ?  Noble  conduct  has  an  oppor- 
tunity of  display  when  surrounded  by  misfort- 
unes. 

SICK  MIND. 

The  mind  is  more  sick  than  the  sick  body,  and 
at  contemplation  of  its  sufferings  becomes  hope- 
less. 

THE  WRESTLEB. 

The  wrestler,  who  enters  young  into  the  yellow- 
sanded  arena,  feels  stronger  than  he  whose  arms 
are  worn  out  by  the  slow  approach  of  age. 

THE    FUTURE   OF   LIFE    NOT  TO   BE   FORESEEN. 

Thus,  as  I  did  not  foresee  what  was  to  come,  I 
used  to  wish  that  I  might  become  old  with  all  the 
tranquil  joys  around  me. 

FATE  INIMICAL. 

The  fates  were  inimical. 

RUIN    AT   THE   END   OF   LIFE. 

Not  far  from  the  goal,  which  I  thought  I  had 


#56  OVID. 

almost  reached,  heavy  ruin  overtook  me  on  my 
course. 

NOTHING  ABOVE  GOD. 

Nothing  is  so  high  nor  above  the  dangers  of  life 
that  it  is  not  below  and  placed  under  God. 

MEN  RISE  UNDER  ADVERSITIES. 

The  oak,  struck  by  the  lightning  of  Jove,  often 
sprouts  anew. 

PLEASURES   OF  POETRY. 

Thanks  to  thee,  my  Muse,  for  it  is  thou  that 
affordest  me  solace;  thou  art  a  respite  to  my  cares, 
thou  art  an  antidote  to  all  my  ills. 

SUPPRESSED   GRIKF. 

Suppressed  grief  suffocates  raging  within  the 
breast,  and  is  forced  to  multiply  its  strength. 

THE  LOVE  OF  FAME. 

The  love  of  fame  usually  puts  spurs  to  the 
mind. 

WHERE   SHALL  I  LOOK  FOR  SAFETY. 

Whither  shall  I  go  ?  Whence  shall  I  seek  com- 
fort in  my  calamities  ?  No  anchor  any  longer 
holds  our  vessel. 

THERE  IS  NO  CERTAINTY  OF  PEACE. 

Sometimes  there  is  peace,  but  never  a  certainty 
of  its  continuance. 

INEXORABLE    FATE. 

The  iron-hearted  and  inexorable  fate  of  life 
weighed  heavily  upon  him. 


OVID.  367 

THE  GOOD  UNDER  ADVERSITY. 

No  doubt  the  righteous  under  the  stroke  of  ad- 
versity has  substantial  grounds  for  glorying  in 
the  sadness  of  their  fate. 

THE   WHEEL   OF   FORTUNE. 

Fearest  thou  not  the  divine  power  of  Fortune, 
as  she  stands  on  her  unsteady  wheel,  that  goddess 
who  abhors  all  vaunting  words  ? 

FICKLENESS   OF   FORTUNE. 

Fortune  wanders  around  with  doubtful  steps, 
remaining  sure  and  fixed  in  no  place;  but  now  is 
joyful,  now  puts  on  a  sorrowful  countenance,  and 
is  only  constant  in  its  fickleness. 

A   FADING   BLOOM. 

We  also  have  bloomed,  but  it  was  a  fading 
flower. 

HAPPY  MORE  NUMEROUS  THAN  UNHAPPY  DAYS 

If  thou  countest  the  sunshine  and  cloudy  days 
of  the  whole  year,  thou  wilt  find  that  the  bright 
predominate. 

A  BARBARIAN. 

I  am  a  barbarian  here,  because  I  am  not  under- 
stood by  any. 

WHAT  THE   POET   REQUIRES. 

The  poet's  labors  are  a  work  of  joy,  and  require 
peace  of  mind. 

RESULT   OF   IDLENESS. 

Besides  my  vein  of  genius,  rusted  by  long  tor- 
por, grows  dull,  and  is  much  less  strong  than  it 


868  OVU). 

was  before.  The  field,  if  it  be  not  regularly  tilled, 
will  produce  nothing  but  coarse  grass  and  thorns. 
The  horse  that  has  been  long  confined  will  run 
badly,  and  will  come  in  last  among  the  steeds  that 
left  the  starting  point. 

So  Proverbs  xiii.  11 : — 

"Wealth  gotten  by  vanity  shall  be  diminished:  but  he  that 
gathereth  by  labor  shall  increase." 

LOVE  OF  GLORY. 

In  short,  the  love  of  glory  gives  no  small 
strength  to  the  mind,  and  the  desire  of  praise  in- 
spires men  with  eloquence. 

THE  RESULT. 

The  result  is  a  small  ember  of  my  exertions. 

THE   RICH. 

The  shade  of  the  rich  man  will  carry  nothing  to 
the  grave. 

DESERT   NOT   THE   UNFORTUNATE. 

When  God  thunders,  not  to  withdraw  ourselves 
from  the  storm  is  proof  of  reverential  awe  and  of 
affection  for  our  friends. 

MERIT  UNDER  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  FORTUNE. 

Rare  indeed  is  the  merit  not  under  the  influence 
of  fortune. 

THE   OLIVE   BRANCH  OF   PEACE. 

In  war  the  olive  branch  of  peace  is  of  use. 

TO   HAVE   DESERVED   PUNISHMENT. 

It  is  less  to  suffer  punishment  than  to  have  de- 
served it. 


OVID.  369 

PUNISHMENT. 

The  punishment  may  be  remitted;  the  crime 
will  be  forever. 

DREAMS. 

Dreams  alarm  me  that  portray  my  real  misfort- 
unes, and  my  waking  senses  are  ever  aliva  to  my 
sorrows. 


A  wound  may  perhaps  be  closed  in  time,  but 
freshly  inflicted,  it  shrinks  from  the  touch. 

LOVE   OF   COUNTRY. 

Love  of  country  more  powerful  than  reason  it- 
self. 

THE  PHYSICIAN'S  SKILL  NOT  OMNIPOTENT. 

It  is  not  always  in  the  power  of  the  physician 
to  relieve  the  patient:  sometimes  the  disease  is  be- 
yond the  reach  of  art. 

CARE. 

Neither  gout  nor  dropsy  can  be  removed  by  the 
power  of  medicine.  Care,  too,  is  at  times  beyond 
the  reach  of  art,  or  is  only  to  be  assuaged  by 
length  of  time. 

FATHERLAND. 

Our  fatherland  charms  us  with  delights  that  we 
cannot  express,  and  never  allows  us  to  forget  that 
we  owe  to  it  our  birth. 

A  FRAIL  BARK. 

We  have  ploughed  the  vast  .ocean  in  a  frail  bark. 
24 


870  OVID. 

SLOTH. 

Thou  seest  how  sloth  wastes  the  sluggish  body, 
as  the  water  is  corrupted  unless  it  is  moved. 

Proverbs  xxi.  25:— 

"  The  desire  of  the  slothful  killethhim;  for  his  hands  refuse 
to  labor." 

PUKSUITS. 

Every  one  is  fond  of  his  own  pursuits,  and  de- 
lights to  spend  time  in  his  accustomed  art. 

THE   GLADIATOR. 

The  wounded  gladiator  forswears  all  fighting, 
1'ut  soon,  forgetful  of  his  former  wound,  he  re- 
sumes his  arms. 

USELESS   ARTS. 

Nothing  is  more  useless  to  man  than  those  arts 
which  have  no  utility. 

INGENUOUS   ARTS. 

The  heart  of  man  is  softened  by  ingenuous 
arts,  to  which  thou  art  specially  devoted,  and 
churlishness  flies  away. 

HOPE. 

Hope  causes  the  shipwrecked  mariner,  when  no 
land  appears  around,  to  strike  out  in  the  midst  of 
the  waves.  The  skill  of  the  physician  has  often 
confessed  itself  baffled,  but  hope  still  lingered 
while  life  was  ebbing.  The  prisoner  hopes  for 
safety  in  his  prison;  while  the  man  hanging  on 
the  cross  offers  up  prayers  for  release. 

St.  Basil,  writing  to  Gregory  of  Nazianzus  (Epist.  xiv.  p. 
03)  calls  "  Hopes  the  waking  dreams  of  men." 

And  Pope  ("  Essay  on  Man,"  Ep.  i.  1.  95)speaks  of  it  thus: — 
"  Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast, 
Man  never  Is  but  always  to  be  blest." 


OVID.  371 

And  Prior,  to  the  Hon.  Charles  Montague: — 

"  Our  hopes,  like  tow' ring  falcons,  aim 

At  objects  in  an  airy  height; 
The  little  pleasure  of  the  game 

Is  from  afar  to  view  the  flight." 
And  Shakespeare  ("  Measure  for  Measure,"  iii.  1): — 
"  The  miserable  have  no  other  medicine, 

But  only  hope." 
And  ("Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona,"  iii.  1): — 

"  Hope  is  a  lover's  staff;  walk  hence  with  that, 
And  manage  it  against  despairing  thoughts." 
And  Goldsmith  (song  from  the  "Captivity  "):— 

"  The  wretch  condemn'd  with  life  to  part, 

Still,  still  on  hope  relies, 
And  every  pang  that  rends  the  heart 

Bids  expectation  rise. 
Hope  like  the  glimmering  taper's  light, 

Adorns  and  cheers  the  way; 
And  still,  as  darker  grows  the  night, 
Emits  a  brighter  ray." 

TKUE  NOBILITY. 

It  is  not  wealth  nor  ancestry,  but  honorable 
conduct  and  a  noble  disposition,  that  make  men 
great. 

"  TAKES." 

As  often  as  Jove  sends  showers  to  refresh  the 
fields,  the  clinging  bur  springs  up  amidst  the 
wheat. 

Shakespeare  ("  Richard  HI."  ii.  4):— 

"  Sweet  flowers  are  slow  and  weeds  make  haste." 

BAD   FORTUNE. 

The  most  miserable  fortune  is  safe  for  there  is 
no  fear  of  anything  worse. 

THE    TONGUE. 

My  tongue,  be  silent;  not  another  word  must  be 
said. 


372  OVID. 

THE  UPWARD    PATH    OF  VIRTUE. 

It  is  a  difficult  path,  I  confess,  but  virtue  mounts 
upward,  and  so  much  greater  will  be  the  fame  de- 
rived from  such  meritorious  exertions. 

THE    MERCIFUL    JUDGE. 

Who,  when  he  has  come  to  a  sad  decision,  is 
himself  sad,  and  who  almost  feels  the  infliction  of 
the  punishment  as  if  it  were  inflicted  on  himself. 
Shakespeare  ("  Measure  for  Measure,"  iii.  2): — 
"  He  who  the  sword  of  heaven  will  bear, 
Should  be  as  holy  as  severe; 
Pattern  in  himself  to  know, 
Grace  to  stand,  and  virtue  go; 
More  nor  less  to  others  paying, 
Than  by  self-offences  weighing, 
Shame  to  him,  whose  cruel  striking 
Kills  for  faults  of  his  own  liking." 

POPULACE. 

The  vulgar  throng  estimates  friends  by  the  ad- 
vantage to  be  derived  from  them. 

VIRTUE   ITS  OWX  REWARD. 

Thou  wilt  scarcely  find  one  in  a  thousand  who 
will  regard  virtue  as  its  own  reward.  Honor  it- 
self possesses  no  charms  if  it  is  unattended  by 
recompense ;  and  we  are  ashamed  to  be  good,  if 
we  are  not  to  be  compensated. 

So  Home.  ("  Douglas  "  act  iii.  sc.  1):— 

"  Amen!  and  virtue  is  its  own  reward!  " 

SELF-INTEREST. 

Nowadays  every  one  looks  after  his  own  inter- 
ests, and  calculates  on  his  anxious  fingers  what 
may  turn  out  useful  to  himself. 


OVID.  373 

So  Churchill  ("  The  Conference,"  1.  107):— 
"  Explore  the  dark  recesses  of  the  mind, 
In  the  soul's  honest  volume  read  mankind. 
And  own,  in  wise  and  simple,  great  and  small, 
The  same  grand  leading  principle  in  all, 
.  .  .  And  by  whatever  name  we  call 
The  ruling  tyrant,  Self  is  all  in  all." 

PKOSPERITY. 

Nobody  is  loved  except  the  man  to  whom  fort- 
une is  favorable;  when  she  thunders,  she  drives 
away  all  that  are  near. 

THE    THORN    AND   THE   ROSE. 

The  prickly  thorn  often  bears  soft  roses. 

Anonymous  ("  To  Fielding,  on  the  revival  of  the  Intriguing 
Chambermaid  "): — 

"  Where  the  sharp  thistle  springs,  implant  the  corn, 
And  graft  the  rose  upon  the  spring  thorn." 

VIRTUE    REQUIRES    NO    REWARD. 

In  thy  judgment  virtue,  without  the  aid  of  out- 
ward advantages,  stands  in  no  need  of  reward,  and 
must  be  sought  for  her  own  sake. 

DIFFERENT   PURSUITS,    BUT    BOTH    LIBERAL. 

Our  pursuits  indeed  differ,  but  they  are  derived 
from  the  same  source; ;  both  of  us  are  devoted  to  a 
liberal  art. 

A    FUTURE   AGE. 

A  coming  age  will  admire. 

THE    NERVOUS. 

The  wounded  limb  shrinks  even  from  the  gent- 
lest touch,  and  to  the  nervous  the  smallest  shadow 
excites  alarm. 


374  OVID. 

A  DROP. 

Stones  are  hollowed  by  constant  drops  of  water. 
Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VI.,"  Part  III.,  act  iii.  sc.  2):— 
"  Much  rain  wears  the  marble." 

INGENUOUS    ARTS. 

Many  seek  glory  by  ingenuous  arts. 

THE    WOLF. 

The  wolf  rushes  on  a  flock  of  sheep  that  it  may 
carry  off  one. 

EXILE. 
The  place  makes  banishment  more  bearable. 

AGRICULTURE. 

It  is  pleasant  to  pass  one's  time  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  fields. 

PURE   WATER. 

There  is  in  pure  water  no  small  pleasure. 

THE    MIND. 

The  mind  conquers  everything;   it  gives  even 
strength  to  the  body. 

Of  the  power  of  the  mind  Pope  ("  Essay  on  Man,"  Ep.  ii.  1. 
104)  thus  speaks: — 

"  But  strength  of  mind  is  exercise,  not  rest; 
The  rising  tempest  puts  in  act  the  soul, 
Parts  it  may  ravage,  but  preserves  the  whole. 
On  life's  vast  ocean  diversely  we  sail, 
Reason  the  card,  but  passion  is  the  gale." 

A   PLEASING  COUNTENANCE. 

A  pleasing  countenance  is  no  slight  advantage 
to  man. 


OVID.  875 

THE   MISERABLE. 

Believe  me,  it  is  noble  to  aid  the  afflicted,  and  is 
worthy  of  such  a  mighty  potentate  as  thou  art. 

So  Matthew  xx.  25,  26:— 

"  Ye  know  that  the  princes  of  the  Gentiles  exercise  domin- 
ion over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exercise  authority  upon 
them.  But  it  shall  not  be  so  among  you:  but  whosoever  will 
be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your  minister." 

HIGH    POWER. 

Royal  power  is  never  seen  in  a  better  cause  than 
as  often  as  it  does  not  allow  prayers  to  be  offered 
to  no  effect. 

MERCY. 

It  is  a  pleasure  proper  for  man  to  save  a  fellow- 
creature,  and  gratitude  is  better  acquired  in  no 
other  way. 

Shakespeare  ("  Merchant  of  Venice,"  act  iv.  sc.  1)  says: — 
"  It  is  enthroned  in  the  hearts  of  kings, 
It  is  an  attribute  to  God  himself; 
An  earthly  power  doth  then  show  likest  God's, 
When  mercy  seasons  justice." 

RESULT   OF   EDUCATION. 

To  be  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  liberal  arts 
refines  the  manners,  and  makes  men  to  be  mild 
and  gentle  in  their  conduct. 
Pope  ("  Moral  Essays,"  I.  Part  ii.)  says: — 

"  'Tis  education  forms  the  common  mind, 
Just  as  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree's  inclin'd." 

POETS    HAVE    COMMON  TIES. 

Yet  between  poets  there  are  certain  common 
ties,  though  we,  each  of  us,  pursue  our  respective 
paths. 


376  OVID. 

THE  ADVANTAGE   OF    ENCOURAGEMENT. 

The  spirited  steed,  which  will  contend  of  its 
own  accord  for  the  victory,  will  run  still  more 
swift  if  thou  givest  encouragement. 

DESIKE   OF    SUCCESS. 

To  wish  is  of  slight  moment;  thou  oughtest  to 
desire  with  earnestness  to  be  successful,  and  this 
anxiety  should  shorten  thy  hours  of  rest. 

TEABS. 

Tears  are  sometimes  equal  in  weight  to  words. 
Hood  ("  Song  of  the  Shirt "): — 

"  My  tears  must  stop,  for  every  drop 

Hinders  my  needle  and  thread." 
And  Scott: — 

"  The  rose  is  sweetest  wash'd  with  morning  dew, 
And  love  is  loveliest  when  embalm'd  in  tears." 

THE   EFFECT   OF   THE   THUNDERBOLT. 

Though  the  thunderbolt  strikes  only  one,  it  is 
not  only  one  that  it  alarms. 


Envy,  the  meanest  of  vices,  does  not  enter  the 
minds  of  the  noble,  but  creeps  on  the  ground  like 
a  hidden  serpent. 

Sheridan  ("The  Critic,"  act  i.  sc.  1):— 
"  There  is  not  a  passion  so  strongly  rooted  in  the  human 
heart  as  envy." 

GREAT  POETS. 

Great  poets  do  not  require  an  indulgent  reader; 
they  charm  any  one,  however  much  against  his 
will,  and  however  difficult  to  please. 


OVID.  377 

THE  RESULT  OF  THE  APPLAUSES  OF  THE  PUBLIC. 

Every  genius  may  feel  elated  at  the  applauses 
of  the  public  and  its  joyous  acclamation. 

'     NOVELTY. 

Novelty  in  everything  is  most  pleasing;  and 
gratitude  is  refused  to  a  kindness  which  is  slow 
in  coming. 

THE  LAST   ROSE. 

It  makes  not  the  least  difference  whether  thou 
be  the  first  to  pluck  the  rose,  or  they  be  the  last 
on  the  bush. 

THE   FATE   OF   WRITINGS    AFTER  DEATH. 

Writings  generally  begin  to  please  from  the  mo- 
ment of  a  man's  death,  for  spite  assails  the  living, 
and  carps  at  him  with  unjust  tooth. 

BAD   LIFE. 

To  lead  a  dissipated  life  may  be  called  a  kind  of 
death. 

GOODAVILL   IS    SOMETIMES   SUFFICIENT. 

Though  the  power  be  wanting,  yet  the  mere  de- 
sire to  assist  is  worthy  of  praise. 

GOD. 

There  is  a  divinity  in  our  breast. 
Cato  (act  v.  sc.  1)  says:— 
"  'Tis  the  divinity  that  stirs  within  us; 
•  'Tis  Heaven  itself  that  points  out  an  hereafter, 
And  intimates  eternity  to  man." 

FRESH  FRUIT  ON  THE  TREE. 

It  is  more  delightful  to  pull  down  a  branch,  and 


378  OVID. 

pluck  a  fresh  apple,  than  to  pick  one  from  a  carved 
dish. 

THE    AFFLICTED. 

The  gods,  believe  me,  spare  the  afflicted,  and 
do  not  always  oppress  the  unfortunate. 
Pomfret,  to  his  friend  under  affliction: — 
"  Heaven  is  not  always  angry  when  he  strikes, 
But  most  chastises  those  whom  most  he  likes." 

THE    AUTHOR. 

An  author  is  pleased  with  his  own  work. 

DISEASES. 

The  art  of  perceiving  diseases  and  of  removing 
them  is  not  the  same:  perception  exists  in  all; 
but  it  is  by  skill  alone  that  diseases  are  cured. 

COALS  TO    NEWCASTLE. 

To  send  verses  to  him  was  to  add  leavss  to  a 
wood. 

THE  PROSPEROUS. 

While  my  ship  was  supported  with  a  strong  keel, 
thou  wast  the  first  to  be  willing  to  sail  along  with 
me. 

THE   UNCERTAINTY   OF   HUMAN   AFFAIRS. 

All  human  things  hang  on  a  slender  thread,  and 
the  strongest  fall  with  a  sudden  crash. 

So  Jeremiah  ix.  23:— 

"  Neither  let  the  haughty  man  glory  hi  his  might." 

LOVE   OF   FAME. 

The  love  of  fame  gives  an  immense  stimulus. 


OVID.  379 

THE   GOBS. 

Heaven  makes  sport  of  the  affairs  of  men,  and 
we  know  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth. 

UNCERTAINTY  OF  HUMAN  EVENTS. 

Consider  that  the  things  which  seem  joyful  to 
thee  while  thou  speakest  may  become  a  source  of 
grief. 

MISFORTUNE. 

Bad  fortune  has  made  no  lot  so  miserable  that  a 
respite  of  the  evil  does  not  bring  some  relief. 

THE  MIND'S  EYE. 

Though  absent,  I  shall  see  you  with  my  mind's 
eye. 
Shakespeare  ("Hamlet,"  i.  2):— 

"  In  my  mind's  eye,  Horanto." 

THE   WIDOW'S   MITE. 

But  he  who  gives  all  that  he  can  is  abundantly 
grateful,  and  his  return  has  reached  its  natural 
limit;  nor  is  the  incense  which  the  poor  man 
offers  from  his  tiny  censer  of  less  avail  with  the 
gods  than  what  is  given  from  the  rich  man's  bowl. 

POETKY. 

By  verse  the  virtuous  are  made  immortal,  and, 
secure  from  death,  they  are  handed  down  to  the 
latest  posterity. 

THE   IMPORTANCE   OF   WRITINGS. 

What  is  written  survives  the  lapse  of  years ;  it  is 
by  writings  that  you  know  Agamemnon,  and  who 
fought  for  or  against  him. 


380 


THE   MIND. 

The  mind  alone  cannot  be  sent  into  exile. 

THE    GIVER. 

The  gift  derives  its  value  from  the  rank  of  the 
giver. 

THE  DROP. 

The  drop  hollows  out  the  stone;  the  ring  is 
Avoru  by  use;  and  the  crooked  ploughshare  is 
rubbed  away  by  the  earth. 

RENEWING     GRIEF. 

When  length  of  time  has  assuaged  the  wounds 
of  the  mind,  he,  who  reminds  us  of  them  unseason- 
ably, brings  them  up  afresh. 

PRUDENCE   FORSAKES   THE   WRETCHED. 

Believe  me,  that  it  is  prudence  that  first  forsakes 
the  miserable. 

LOVE. 
Love  is  full  of  anxious  fears. 

LOVERS. 

If  thou  wert  to  count  the  hours  as  we  lovers  do, 
we  do  not  complain  before  we  ought.  We  were 
slow  to  hope  ;  we  do  not  quickly  believe  what  is 
injurious  if  true. 

FALSE   PROMISES. 

Demophoon,  thou  hast  given  both  words  and 
sails  to  the  winds;  what  I  complain  of  is,  that  thy 
sails  are  iiever  to  return,  and  that  thy  promises 
are  false. 


OVID.  881 

BROKEN    FAITH. 

Where  now  are  the  laws  of  thy  country,  thy 
pledged  word,  thy  right  hand  joined  to  right  hand? 
And  the  gods  so  often  invoked  by  thy  false  tongue. 

CREDULITY. 

We  foolishly  believe  those  oaths  thou  swearest, 
of  which  thou  wast  libei'al  enough;  we  trusted 
the  honor  of  thy  race  and  high  birth;  we  trusted 
thy  tears;  are  these  also  able  to  be  simulated? 
Have  these,  too,  their  guile  and  flow  as  they  are 
bid? 


I  wish  that  whoever  thinks  that  deeds  are  to  be 
regarded  according  to  their  result,  may  never  en- 
joy success. 

MAY  I   BE   SWALLOWED    UP   BY  THE   EARTH. 

I  pray  that  I  may  be  first  swallowed  up  by  the 
sudden  gaping  of  the  earth,  or  be  burnt  by  the 
ruddy  flash  of  the  thunderbolt. 

WORDS     OF   NO   WEIGHT. 

But  my  words  are  of  no  weight. 

LOVE. 

It  is  not  safe  to  despise  what  Cupid  bids;  he 
reigns  supreme,  and  rules  over  the  mightiest  gods. 

INITIATION   IN   CRIMES   FROM   EARLY   YEARS. 

When  there  is  initiation  in  crime  from  earlies' 
years,  they  become  a  part  of  nature. 

MISFORTUNES   THAT   ARE   UNDESERVED. 

We  ought  to  bear  with  patience  what  befalls  us 


882  OVID. 

according  to  our  deserts ;  it  is  the  unmerited  evil 
that  is  to  be  regarded  with  sorrow. 

CHASTITY. 

Chastity  once  lost,  cannot  be  recalled ;  it  goes 
only  once. 

LIGHTNESS    OF  CHARACTER. 

Thou  art  lighter  than  leaves  at  the  time  when, 
being  without  the  weight  of  juice,  dried  up,  they 
fly  about  by  the  ever-moving  winds ;  and  there  is 
less  weight  in  thee  than  in  the  topmost  part  of 
the  grain  which  is  hardened  by  the  constant  heat 
of  the  sun. 


Love  is  credulous.  Would  that  I  could  be  called 
rash  for  having  accused  my  husband  of  crimes  of 
which  he  was  guiltless ! 

A   WOUND   FROM   AN  UNEXPECTED   QUARTER. 

I  have  received  a  wound  from  an  unexpected 
quarter. 

LOVE. 

Love  is  to  be  acquired  by  beauty  of  mind  and 
body. 

THE   HAKD-HEARTED. 

Thou  hast  been  begotten  by  a  stone,  and  mount- 
ains and  oaks  growing  on  lofty  rocks,  and  savage 
beasts. 

THE  SEA. 
Yet  the  wide  expanse  of  sea  witnesses  many  sad 


OVID.  383 

THE  SAME  FATE  TO  THE  END  OF  LIFE. 

The  fate  which  attended  me  before,  continues 
to  the  end,  and  follows  me  to  the  last  moment  of 
my  life. 

THE   WICKED. 

The  right  hand  of  the  wicked  cannot  offer  due 
homage  to  the  gods. 

So  James  iv.  8: — 

"  Cleanse  your  hands,  ye  sinners." 

THE   BEGINNING  BETTER  THAN  THE   END. 

Thou  heginnest  better  than  thou  endest;  the 
last  is  inferior  to  the  first. 

MAKBY  YOUR   EQUAL. 

If  thou  wishest  to  marry  wisely,  marry  thy 
equal. 

"Like  blood,  like  good,  and  like  age,  make  the  happiest 
marriage." 

LOVE   AND  WAR. 

Let  others  wage  wars;  let  Protesilaus  have  the 
enjoyments  of  love. 

It  is  thought  that  this  may  be  the  origin  of  the  often-cited 
expression: — 

"  Bella  gerant  alii;  tu  felix  Austria  nube." 

THE  LAST   FAREWELL. 

And  the  tongue  said  with  low  murmurs,  Fare- 
well! 

BEAUTY. 

If  but  to  one  that's  equally  divine, 

None  you'll  incline  to,  you'll  to  none  incline. 


884  OVID. 

USE  IS  SECOND  NATUHE. 

Pursuits  become  habits. 

Shakespeare  ("  Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona,"  act  v.  sc.  4) 
says:— 

"  How  use  doth  breed  a  habit  ha  a  man." 

FIKE. 

For  who  can  conceal  fire,  which  always  betrays 
itself  by  its  own  light  ? 

A  GIFT. 
We  like  the  gift,  when  we  the  giver  prize. 

DO  NOT  EXCITE  THE  WKATH  OF  A  KING. 

Knowest  thou  not  that  kings  have  long  arms  ? 

This  is  the  Greek  proverb:— 
"  He  who  sups  with  the  devil  must  have  a  long  spoon." 

A  FLAME  NEWLY  KAISED. 

A  flame  newly  raised  is  extinguished  by  a  little 
water. 

HOPE. 

Good  hope  is  often  deceived  in  its  predictions. 

THE  MIND. 

And  I  am  borne  in  spirit  whither  I  am  not  able 
in  body. 

HOPE  AND  REALITY. 

Hopes  are  not  always  realized,  but  they  are  ever 
present. 

JOYS. 

Every  delay  is  regarded  as  long  which  puts  off 
our  joys. 


OVID.  385 

A  BURDEN. 

"Tis  patience  that  makes  a  burden  light. 

So  Matthew  xi.  29:— 

"  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek 
and  lowly  in  heart:  and  -ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 
For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light." 

THE   POWER  OF   RAGE. 

Eage  assists  hands,  however  feeble. 

TIME. 

Life  steals  on  and  time  escapes  from  us  like  the 
swift  river  that  glides  on  with  rapid  stream. 
Shakespeare  ("  All's  Well  that  Ends  Well,"  act  v.  sc.  3):— 

"  The  inaudible  and  noiseless  foot  of  Time." 
And  Chaucer  ("  The  Clerk's  Tale  ")  says:— 

"  For  tho'  we  slepe  or  wake,  or  rome  or  ride, 

Ay  fleeth  the  time,  it  will  no  man  bide." 
So  Psalm  xc.  5: — 
"Thou  carriest  them  away  as  with  a  flood." 

NECESSITY  OP   INDUSTRY. 

Vessels  of  bronze  become  bright  by  use ;  mag- 
nificent dresses  are  made  to  be  worn:  houses 
abandoned  to  long  neglect  grow  hoary  with  age. 

NOBLE  TO  GIVE. 

It  is  a  noble  thing  to  give  generously. 

MANY   A   LITTLE   MAKES   A  MUCKLE. 

If  they  shall  beg  a  few  things  from  a  great  num- 
ber, by  and  by  a  great  heap  will  be  accumulated 
from  their  gleanings. 

MEDICATED   POISON. 

Deadly  poisons    sometimes   lurk   under  sweet 
honey. 
25 


386  OVID. 

Watt  says ; — 

"  The  rills  of  pleasure  never  run  sincere, 

(Earth  has  no  unpolluted  spring;) 
From  the  cursed  soil  some  dang'rous  taint  they  bear, 

So  roses  grow  on  thorns,  and  honey  wears  a  sting." 

EVERY    LOVER    IS   A   SOLDIER. 

Every  lover  is  a  soldier. 

LOVE  IS  A  CAUSE  OF  GREAT  ANXIETY. 

Let  the  man  who  does  not  wish  to  be  idle  fall 
in  love. 

THANKS. 

Thanks  are  justly  due  for  things  got  without 
purchase. 

FAME   FROM   POETRY. 

The  honors  which  poetry  will  confer  will  be 
never-dying. 

THE   SUPREMACY   OF   POETRY. 

Let  kings  and  the  triumphs  of  kings  give  way 
to  verse. 

ENVY. 

Envy  feeds  on  living  merit;  it  ceases  after  death, 
when  a  man's  real  character  defends  each  accord- 
ing to  his  actual  deserts. 

THE   MAN   THAT   IS   FEARED. 

Every  one  is  desirous  that  the  man  should  per- 
ish of  whom  he  is  afraid. 

TO   ACKNOWLEDGE    ONE'S   FAULTS. 

I  would  not  presume  to  defend  my  dissolute 
habits,  and  to  throw  a  false  glare  over  my  mis- 
deeds. 


OVID.  387 

PATIENCE. 

Let  those  who  have  deserved  it  suffer  punish- 
ment with  patience. 

COALS  TO  NEWCASTLE. 

Why  dost  thou  add  leaves  to  trees,  stars  to  the 
crowded  sky,  water  to  the  vast  ocean  ? 

SLEEP. 

Thou  fool,  what  is  sleep  but  the  image  of  cold 
death  ?  Fate  will  give  an  eternity  of  rest. 

THE  SHIP. 

It  is  too  late  to  look  with  wistful  eyes  to  the 
shore,  when  the  rope  has  been  loosed,  and  the 
rounded  keels  sweeps  through  the  boundless 
deep. 

THE   WOBDS   OF   A   OIEL. 

The  words  of  younger  girls  are  lighter  than  the 
falling  leaves;  the  wind  and  the  waves  bear  them 
without  effort  wherever  they  choose. 

WHAT   IS   EASILY   GOT   IS   LITTLE   CARED   FOR. 

What  maybe  got  is  despised;  what  cannot,  is 
eagerly  desired. 

THE  CHASTENING   OF   THE   LOUD. 

Be  firm  and  endure;  this  pain  will  hereafter  be 
for  thy  good :  a  bitter  draught  often  brings  relief 
to  the  sick. 

DEATH. 

Death,  who  will  take  no  refusal,  profanes  every- 
thing sacred ;  it  lays  its  hands  silently  on  all. 


388  OVID. 

COALS  TO  NEWCASTLE. 

Thou  pourest  fire  iuto  fire,  water  into  the  sea. 

THE   POWER   OF   COMMITTING   SIX. 

He,  who  has  it  in  his  power  to  commit  sin,  is 
less  inclined  to  do  so.  The  very  idea  of  being 
able  weakens  the  desire. 

THE    FORBIDDEN. 

We  are  ever  hankering  after  the  forbidden,  and 
covet  what  is  refused  us:  thus  the  dropsical  long 
for  the  water  they  must  not  touch. 

So  Genesis  iii.  1: — 

"And  the  serpent  said  to  the  woman,  Yea,  hath  God  said, 
Ye  shall  not  eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden  »" 

WE   COVET   WHAT  IS   CAREFULLY   GUARDED. 

We  are  apt  to  covet  the  more  whatever  is 
guarded;  the  very  care  invokes  the  thief.  Few 
care  for  what  they  may  have. 

WEALTH   GIVES   HONORS. 

Parliament  is  closed  to  the  poor;  it  is  wealth, 
that  confers  honors. 
Sophocles  (Philoct.  304)  says:— 
"  Not  hither  are  the  voyages  of  the  prudent  among  men." 

GENIUS   IN   OLDEN    TIMES. 

Genius  in  olden  times  was  more  precious  than 
gold,  but  the  barbarism  of  the  present  day  puts  no 
account  on  it. 

THE   CRETANS   ARE   LIARS. 

The  Cretans  do  not  always  tell  lies. 

THE    LICENCE   OF   POETS. 

The  unbridled  licence  of  poets  ranges  "  from 


OVID.  389 

earth  to  heaven,"  nor  are  his  words  subject  to 
historic  truth. 

THE   SECRETS   OF   NIGHT. 

What  madness  it  is  to  confess  in  the  day  what 
is  concealed  by  the  darkness  of  night,  and  to 
relate  openly  what  thou  hast  done  secretly ! 

THE   ADVANTAGES    OF    ART. 

Ships  are  moved  with  rapidity  by  art,  sails,  and 
oars;  the  light  chariot  is  moved  by  art;  and  love 
is  governed  by  the  assistance  of  art. 

TO   SEE   AND   BE   SEEN. 

They  come  to  see ;  they  come  to  be  seen. 

LIGHT   SERVICE. 

Light  service  charms  light  minds. 

HEAVENLY    GENIUS. 

Heavenly  genius  springs  up  more  quickly  than 
its  years,  and  submits,  with  regret,  to  the  losses 
brought  by  slow  time. 


"Wine  prepares  the  mind,  and  makes  it  ready  to 
be  inflamed;  care  flies,  and  is  drowned  in  plente- 
ous draughts. 

SIMPLICITY. 

Simplicity  most  rare  in  our  age. 

NIGHT   COVERS   ALL   DEFECTS. 

Xight  covers  all  blemishes,  and  every  flaw  is 
forgiven. 


390  OVID. 

OUR    NEIGHBOR. 

The  crop  seems  always  more  productive  in  our 
neighbor's  field,  and  our  neighbor's  cow  has  a 
larger  supply  of  milk. 

So  Luke  xv.  29,  30:— 

"  Yet  thou  never  gavest  me  a  kid,  that  I  might  make  merry 
•with  my  friends;  but  as  soon  as  this  thy  son  was  come,  which 
hath  devoured  thy  living  with  harlots,  thou  hast  killed  for  him 
the  fatted  calf." 

ANGER   IS   ASSUAGED   BY  TIME. 

Like  brittle  ice  anger  passes  away  by  time. 

So  Psalm  cxxx.  5  :— 

"  For  His  au^er  endured  but  a  moment." 

THE   RESULT. 

The  result  is  doubtful. 

A   LOVER  OF  BARGAINS. 

A  woman  who  is  always  buying. 

EFFECT    OF   PRAYER. 

An  angry  God  is  propitiated  by  words  of  entreaty. 
So  Psalm  ciii.  9:— 

"  He  will  not  always  chide;  neither  will  He  keep  his  anger 
forever." 

NO   HARM    IN  PROMISING. 

Take  care  to  promise  liberally;  for  what  harm 
is  there  in  promising  ?  Any  one  can  be  rich  in 
promises. 

A  SPEAKING  COUNTENANCE. 

A  silent  countenance  often  expresses  words  and 
sounds. 

THE    BOLD. 

Fortune  and  love  befriend  the  bold. 


OVID.  'Ml 

THE   ELOQUENCE   OF   A  LOVER. 

See  only  that  tliou  beginnest;  eloquent  words 
will  flow  spontaneously. 

THE    PEACOCK. 

The  bird  of  Juno  displays  her  feathers,  which 
thou  praisest;  if  thou  look  at  her  in  silence,  she 
conceals  her  beauty. 

PERJURIES   OF   LOVERS. 

Jupiter,  from  on  high,  laughs  at  the  perjuries 
of  lovers,  and  orders  the  winds  to  scatter  them 
abroad. 

ARTIFICERS   OF   DEATH. 

For  there  is  no  law  more  just  than  this,  that  the 
workman  should  be  hoisted  by  his  own  petard. 

CROCODILE   TEARS. 

If  tears  fail  thee,  for  they  do  not  always  come 
at  the  wished-for  moment,  wipe  thy  eyes  with  thy 
moistened  hand. 

THE    SWARTHY   SAILOR. 

A  fair  complexion  is  unbecoming  a  sailor;  he 
ought  to  be  swarthy  from  the  waters  of  the  sea 
and  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

A  MAN'S  OWN  c; RATIFICATION. 
His  own  gratification  is  the  object  of  eacli. 

MORE  MERIT  IN  KEEPINO  THAN   IN  GETTING 
RICHES. 

There  is  no  less  merit  in  keeping  what  we  have 
got  than  in  first  acquiring  it.  Chance  has  some- 


392  OVID. 

thing  to  do  with  the  one,  while  the  other  will 
always  be  the  effect  of  skill. 

BE    AMIABLE. 

Be  amiable  that  thou  mayst  be  loved. 

BEAUTY. 

Beauty  is  a  frail  good. 

EDUCATION. 

And  let  it  be  no  slight  care  to  cultivate  the  mind 
with  the  liberal  arts,  and  to  learn  thoroughly  the 
two  languages  of  Greece  and  Rome. 

THE  HAWK  ALWAYS  IX  ARMS. 

Churlishness  excites  hatred  and  bitter  taunts; 
hatred  excites  the  hawk,  who  always  lives  in  arms. 
"  Churlishness  and  bitter  taunts  excite  hatred." 

THE  SWALLOW. 

But  the  swallow  has  no  fear  of  man,  because  it 
is  of  a  gentle  nature. 

THE  BITTER  TONGUE. 

Let  strife  be  at  a  distance,  and  the  railings  of  a 
bitter  tongue.  Gentle  love  is  to  be  fed  by  affec- 
tionate words. 

TO  SWIM  AGAIXST  THE  CUBREXT. 

Thou  canst  not  get  the  better  of  the  stream,  if 
thou  swimmest  against  the  current. 

SUBMISSION. 

Submit,  thou  couquerest;  serve,  and  thou' It 
command. 


OVID.  393 

GOLD. 

This  is  now  truly  the  golden  age;  the  highest 
honors  are  bought  with  gold;  even  love  is  pur- 
chased with  gold. 

AN  AVARICIOUS   AGE. 

Though  thou  shouldst  come  attended  hy  the 
Muses,  Homer,  if  thou  bringest  nothing  with  thee, 
Homer,  thou  wilt  be  put  out  of  doors. 

THE   KESULTS   OF   BAD   AIR. 

Sickness  seizes  the  body  from  bad  ventilation. 

CUSTOM. 
Nothing  is  stronger  than  habit. 

A   FIELD   LONG   FALLOW. 

Give  rest;  a  field  long  at  rest  makes  a  plentiful 
return." 

THE  BIVEE. 

The  river  is  small  at  its  source,  but  gains 
strength  as  it  advances,  and  wherever  it  passes 
receives  many  streamlets. 

PROSPERITY. 

The  passions  often  run  riot  amidst  prosperity, 
nor  is  it  an  easy  task  to  bear  it  with  evenness  of 
mind. 

A  DIFFICULT  TASK. 

I  attempt  a  difficult  task,  but  there  is  nothing 
noble  that  is  not  arduous. 

SILENCE. 
It  is  but  a  slight  excellence  to  be  silent,  but  it 


394  OVID. 

is  a  grievous  fault  to  speak  of  things  that  ought 
to  be  concealed. 

So  Ecclesiastes  iii.  7:— 

"  A  time  to  keep  silence,  and  a  time  to  speak." 

ENJOY  THE  PRESENT. 

While  youth  and  years  allow  it,  put  thy  hand  to 
the  plough,  soon  bent  old  age  will  creep  on  with 
silent  foot. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Antiop.  44)  says:— 

"Such  is  the  life  of  wretched  men :  they  are  neither  alto- 
geUur  happy  nor  unhappy,  they  are  prosperous  and  again 
are  unprosperous.  Why,  pray,  as  we  walk  through  the  world 
in  uncertain  bliss,  do  we  not  live  as  pleasantly  as  we  may,  not 
yielding  to  grief." 

WHY  IS  THERE  EVIL  IN  THE  WORLD? 

Some  of  the  vulgar  throng  will  say,  Why  is 
there  poison  in  the  serpent?  And  why  give  up 
the  sheep  to  the  ravenous  wolf? 

LAY  NOT  THE  FAULTS  OF  THE  FE\V  ON  THE 
MANY. 

Do  not  lay  the  blame  on  the  multitude  that  is 
due  to  the  few. 

OLD    AGE. 

Be  mindful  even  now  of  old  age  which  is  ap- 
proaching; thus  no  moment  will  pass  without 
profit. 

TIME. 

We  must  make  use  of  time :  time  flies  with  rapid 
foot. 

ENJOY    THE   PRESENT. 

Our  advantages  fly  away .  gather  flowers  while 
ye  may. 


OVID.  385 

CONSTANT  CROPPING. 

A  field  gets  exhausted  by  constant  cropping. 

NEATNESS  OF  PEBSQN. 

We  are  charmed  by  neatness  of  person ;  let  not 
thy  hair  be  out  of  order. 

BASE  DEEDS. 

Many  deeds,  which  are  base  in  being  committed, 
when  done  please. 

THE  BAD  PREDOMINATE. 

And  there  are  always  more  bad  than  good. 

HYPOCRISY   EVEN  IN   TEARS. 

To  what  point  does  not  art  reach?    Some  learn 
even  to  weep  with  grace. 

MUSIC   OUGHT   TO   BE   LEARNED   BY   LADIES. 

Music  is  a  pleasing  accomplishment;  let  the  fair 
learn  to  sing. 

'     FAME  OF  A  POET. 

Perhaps  even  my  name  will  be  mingled  with 
theirs,  nor  shall  my  writings  be  given  over  to  ob- 
vion. 

THE   UNKNOWN. 

What  is  hid  is  unknown ;  for  what  is  unknown 
there  is  not  desire. 

So  Romans  vii.  7:— 

"  For  I  had  not  knowa  lust,  except  the  law  had  said,  Thou 
shalt  not  covet." 

LET  YOUR  HOOK  ALWAYS  BE  BEADY. 

Chance  is  always  powerful:  let  your  hook  al- 


396  OVID. 

ways  be  cast.     In  a  pool  where  you  least  expect  it 
there  will  be  a  fish. 

PEACE. 

Fair  peace  becomes  mankind;  fury  belongs  to 
wild  beasts. 


GOD  IN  MAX. 

A  God  resides  in  us,  and  we  have  intercourse 
with  heaven.  This  spirit  within  us  comes  from 
the  eternal  abodes. 

SWEET  AND  BITTER. 

We  do  not  bear  the  sweet;  we  are  recruited  by 
a  bitter  potion. 

GIFTS. 

Gifts,  believe  me,  gain  over  both  gods  and  men; 
even  Jupiter  is  soothed  by  gifts. 

Plato  (De  Republ.  Consult,  i.  3)  says:— 
"  Gifts  persuade  the  gods,  gifts  persuade  even  the  noblest 
kings." 

THE  EARTH. 

The  earth  produces  wholesome  and  unwhole- 
some plants;  the  rose  is  found  often  next  to  the 
nettle. 

So  Psalm  civ.  14:— 

"  He  causeth  the  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle,  and  herb  for 
the  service  of  man:  that  he  may  bring  forth  food  out  of  the 
earth." 

EFFECTS  OF  TIME. 

For  time  gives  strength;  time  ripens  the  young 
grapes,  and  changes  into  a  farm  stack,  what  was 
before  a  green  blade. 


OVID.  397 

THE   BEGINNINGS. 

Resist  the  beginnings  of  evil;  it  is  too  late  to 
apply  medicine  when  the  mischief  has  gained 
strength  by  inveterate  habit. 

"He  that  corrects  not  youth,  controls  not  age." 

TO-MORROW. 

He,  who  is  not  prepared  to-day,  will  be  less  so 
to-morrow. 

MADNESS. 

When  madness  is  in  full  flight,  give  way  to  it  in 
its  course;  every  impulsive  feeling  is  difficult  to 
be  met. 

AN   IMPATIENT   SPIKIT. 

An  impatient  and  untutored  spirit  regrets  and 
hates  words  of  instruction. 

MEDICAL  ART. 

Time  is  generally  the  best  doctor. 
•  Philippides  (FT.  Com.  Or.  p.  1123,  M.)  says:— 

"  Time,  the  common  physician,  will  heal  thee." 

HOW   LOVE   IS   TO  BE   CONQUERED. 

If  thou  wishest  to  put  an  end  to  love,  attend  to 
business,  love  gives  way  to  employments:  then 
thou  art  likely  to  be  safe. 

HOW   CARE   IS   TO   BE   DISSIPATED. 

The  country,  companions,  and  the  length  of  the 
journey  will  afford  a  thousand  solaces  for  your 
cares. 

TO  BURST  THE  CHAINS  OF  LOVE. 

He  is  the  best  assertor  of  his  liberties,  who  has 


398  Or  ID. 

burst  the  chain  that  galls  his  breast,  and  has  once 
for  all  got  rid  of  the  cause  of  his  pain. 

VIRTUE  AND  VICE   NEARLY  ALLIED. 

The  bad  is  often  too  near  akin  to  the  good:  by 
confounding  the  one  with  the  other,  virtue  has 
often  borne  the  blame  for  vice. 

DBESS. 
We  are  captivated  by  dress. 

TO  RULE  WITH  A  FIRM  HAND. 

It  is  something  to  hold  the  sceptre  with  a  firm 
hand. 

ENVY. 
Envy  depreciates  the  genius  of  mighty  Homer. 

ENVY. 

Envy  assails  the  noblest;  the  wind  howls  round 
the  highest  peaks. 

THE   SMALL  NOT   TO   BE   DESPISED.  . 

A  boar  is  often  held  by  a  dog  of  no  large  size. 


There  are  a  thousand  forms  of  evil,  there  will 
be  a  thousand  f  orms  of  remedy. 

ACUTE  REMEDIES. 

Some  bodies  are  with  difficulty  healed  by  a 
surgeon's  knife;  many  are  benefited  by  potions 
and  herbs. 

GRIEF. 
And  who  has  not  a  thousand  causes  of  grief  ? 


OVID.  399 

AN  ILL-TEMPERED  MAN. 

All  his  words  bristled  with  passionate  threats. 

PUT   SPUES   TO   TIIE   MIND. 

And  thou  wilt  be  able  if  thou  choosest;  now 
thou  must  push  on  steadily ;  now  put  spurs  to  the 
swift  steed. 

DEEDS   OF   GLOBY. 

It  is  deeds  of  high  renown  that  give  age  to  man; 
these  are  what  ought  to  be  counted;  time  is  to  be 
filled  with  these  and  not  with  years  of  idleness. 
So  P.  J.  Bailey  ("  Festus  "):— 

"We  live  in  deeds,  not  years:  in  thoughts,  not  breaths; 
In  feelings,  not  in  figures  on  a  dial. 
We  should  count  time  by  heart  throbs.    He  most  lives 
Who  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best." 
Sheridan  ("  Pizarro,"  act  iv.  sc.  1):— 

"  A  life  spent  worthily  should  be  measured  by  a  nobler  line 
— by  deeds,  not  years." 
Herbert  ("  lacula  Prudentum"): — 

"  Words  are  women,  deeds  are  men." 
Dr.  Johnson  ("  The  Preface  to  his  Dictionary"): — 
"I am  not  so  lost  in  lexicography  as  to  forget  that  words 
are  the  daughters  of  earth,  and  that  things  are  the  sons  of 
heaven." 

LIFE   IS   LENT    TO   US. 

Life  is  given  to  us  for  use ;  it  has  been  given  to 
us  as  a  loan  without  interest,  and  not  to  be  payed 
back  on  any  fixed  day.  Fortune  distributes  time 
in  unequal  portions  at  her  will;  she  hurries  off 
the  young;  she  props  up  the  old. 


400  PXBSIUS. 

PERSIUS. 

BORN  A.D.  34 — DIED    A.D.   62. 

AULUS  PERSIUS  FLACCUS,  born  at  Yolaterrae  in 
Etruria,  during  the  consulship  of  L.  Vitellius  and 
Fabius  Pei'sicus,  A.D.  34,  received  the- first  rudi- 
ments of  his  education  at  his  native  town,  remain- 
ing there  till  the  age  of  twelve,  when  he  proceeded 
to  Rome  and  studied  under  Remmius  Palaemon  and 
Yerginius  Flavius.  When  he  approached  man- 
hood he  received  lessons  of  philosophy  from  Cor- 
nutus  the  Stoic,  to  whom  he  became  much  attached. 
He  was  the  friend  of  Lucan  and  Caesius  Bassus  the 
lyric  poet.  He  died  A.D.  62,  before  he  had  com- 
pleted his  twenty-eighth  year.  The  extant  works 
of  Persius  consist  of  six  short  satires,  extending 
in  all  to  650  hexameter  lines,  and  were  left  in  an 
imperfect  state. 

AN  IGNORAMUS    QUOTING   FOREIGN   LANGUAGES. 

Who  made  the  parrot  so  ready  with  his  "  How 
d'ye  do?  " 

THE  BELLY. 

The  belly,  master  he  of  all  art,  the  bounteous 
giver  of  genius. 

VANITY  OF     HUMAN  AFFAIRS. 

Oh  the  cares  of  men!  Oh  how  much  emptiness 
there  is  in  human  affairs. 

THE   WISE   MAN. 

Whatever  Rome  in  its  perverted  judgment  may 
disparage,  do  not  thou  subscribe  to  its  verdict, 
nor  by  that  scale  of  theirs  try  to  correct  thy  own 


401 

false  balance,  nor  seek  beyond  thy  own  breast  for 
rules  to  guide  thy  conduct. 

THAT'S  HE. 

Is  then  thy  knowledge  of  no  value,  unless 
another  know  that  thou  possessest  that  knowl- 
edge? But  it  is  a  fine  thing  to  be  pointed  at  with 
the  finger,  and  to  have  it  said,  "  That's  he!" 

PUBLIC   APPLAUSE. 

Lives  there  the  man  with  soul  so  dead  as  to  dis- 
own the  wish  to  merit  the  people's  applause,  and 
having  uttered  words  worthy  to  be  kept  by  cedar 
oil  to  latest  times,  to  leave  behind  him  rhymes 
that  dread  neither  herrings  nor  frankincense. 

PBAISE. 

When  I  write,  if  anything  by  chance  be  ex- 
pressed correctly  (though  this,  I  must  confess,  is 
a  rare  bird),  yet  if  anything  be  expressed  correctly, 
I  would  not  shrink  from  being  praised;  for  my 
breast  is  not  made  of  horn:  but  I  deny  that  that 
"  excellently  "  and  "  beautifully  "  of  yours  is  the 
end  and  object  of  what  is  right. 

PRAYEKS. 

Thou  at  least  dost  not  with  mercenary  prayers 
ask  heaven  for  what  thou  wouldst  not  dare  to 
name  to  the  gods,  unless  in  some  corner.  But 
then  the  greater  part  of  the  nobles  offer  libations 
silently.  I  allow  they  do,  for  it  is  not  every  one 
that  can  in  the  temple  do  away  with  the  low  mut- 
tered whispers  and  offer  up  prayers  in  the  open 
face  of  heaven.  "  A  clear  conscience,  a  good 
name,  integrity,"  for  these  he  prays  loudly,  that 
all  at  hand  may  hear.  But  in  his  inmost  breast, 
and  with  bated  breath,  he  murmurs,  "  Oh  that  my 
26 


402  PERSIl'x. 

uncle  would  evaporate!  What  a  splendid  funeral! 
Would  by  the  favor  of  Hercules  that  a  pot  of  gold 
would  ring  against  my  rake!  or,  would  I  could 
wipe  out  my  ward,  to  whom  I  am  next  heir!  For 
he  is  scrofulous,  and  swollen  with  acrid  bile." 

GOD  DOES  NOT  FORGET  THE  WICKED. 

Thinkest  thou  that  God  has  forgiven  thee,  be- 
cause, when  He  thunders,  the  holm-oak  is  rather 
riven  with  His  sacred  bolt  than  thou  and  thy 
house? 

Iu  Ecclesiastes  (viii.  11)  we  find  the  same  idea:— 

'•  Because  sentence  against  an   evil  work  is  not  executed 

speedily,  therefore  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  fully  set  in 

them  to  do  evil." 

UPRIGHTNESS. 

Why  do  we  not  offer  that  to  the  gods,  which  the 
blear-eyed  progeny  of  great  Messala  cannot  give 
from  his  high-heaped  charger,  Piety  to  God  and 
Justice  to  man  enshrined  within  the  heart;  the 
soul's  inmost  cell  free  from  pollution;  a  bosom 
imbued  with  generous  honor?  Give  me  these  to 
present  at  the  altar,  and  I  shall  gain  what  I  ask 
even  with  a  little  meal. 
Gifford  translates  it  thus:— 

"  No:  let  me  bring  the  immortals,  what  the  race 
Of  great  Messala,  now  depraved  and  base, 
On  their  huge  charger,  cannot:— bring  a  mind, 
Where  legal  and  where  moral  sense  are  join'd 
With  the  pure  essence;  holy  thoughts  that  dwell 
In  the  soul's  most  retired  and  sacred  cell; 
A  bosom  dyed  in  honor's  noblest  grain, 
Deep-dyed ;  with  those  let  me  approach  the  fane, 
And  Heaven  will  hear  the  humble  prayer  I  make, 
Though  all.my  offering  be  a  barley  cake." 
There  is  a  fragment  in  the  "  Mimes  of  Laberius  "  like  this:— 
"God  looks  with  complacency  on  pure,  not  full,  hands."     , 


PERSIUS.  403 

EDUCATION. 

Thou  art  now  clay,  moist  and  pliant;  even  now 
must  thou  be  hastily  moulded  and  fashioned  un- 
interruptedly by  the  rapid  wheel. 

HYPOCRISY. 

Show  these  trappings  to  the  rabble ;  I  know  thee 
intimately  inside  and  out. 

TYRANTS. 

O  mighty  father  of  the  gods !  when  once  dire 
lust,  dyed  with  raging  poison,  has  fired  their 
minds,  vouchsafe  to  punish  cruel  tyrants  in  no 
other  way  than  this,  that  they  see  virtue  and  pine 
away  at  having  forsaken  her. 

This  passage  is  thus  paraphrased  by  Wyatt  ("  Ep.  to 
Poynes"): — 

"  None  other  payne  pray  I  for  them  to  be, 
But,  when  the  rage  doth  lead  them  from  the  right, 
That,  looking  backward,  Vertue  they  may  see 
E'en  as  she  is,  so  goodly  faire  and  bright  1 
And  while  they  claspe  their  lustes  in  arms  acrosse, 
Graunt  them,  good  Lord,  as  thou  maist  of  thy  might, 
To  fret  inwarde  for  losing  such  a  losse! " 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  iv.  84C)  says:— 

"  Abashed  the  devil  stood, 
And  felt  how  awful  goodness  is,  and  saw 
Virtue  in  her  own  shape  how  lovely ;  saw 
•  And  pined  his  loss." 

THE   PURPOSE   OF   HUMAN  LIFE. 

Meet  with  preventive  skill  the  disease  coming 
to  attack  you.  Of  what  use  is  it  to  offer  mount- 
ains of  gold  to  Craterus?  Learn,  hapless  youths, 
and  investigate  the  causes  of  things — what  we  are 
and  for  what  purpose  born — what  station  of  life  is 
assigned  us — how  delicate  the  turning  round  the 
goal  and  whence  the  starting  poiut — what  bounds 


404  PJERSIUS. 

the  love  of  property  requires — what  it  is  lawful  to 
wish — how  far  the  genuine  use  of  wealth  extends 
— what  are  the  just  claims  of  country  and  dear  re- 
lations— what  kind  of  being  heaven  would  have  us 
be,  and  where  our  stand  iu  the  human  common- 
wealth. 

THE  MAN  OF  PLEASTJKE. 

Here  some  shag-haired  captain  may  bellow 
forth,  "I  have  enough  of  wisdom  to  satisfy  me:  I 
care  not  to  be  what  Arcesilas  was  and  dismal  So- 
lons,  with  head  awry  and  leaden  eye  that  loves 
the  ground,  while  they  mutter  within  themselves 
or  are  moodily  silent,  poising  every  word  on  pro- 
truded lips,  moping  o'er  sick  men's  dreams,  '  that 
nothing  can  be  generated  from  nothing;  nothing 
can  return  to  nothing.'  Is  it  over  such  stuff  as 
this  that  you  grow  pale?  Is  it  for  this  that  one 
should  go  without  his  dinner?  "  At  this  the  peo- 
ple laugh,  and  with  wrinkling  nose  the  brawny 
youth  convulsively  re-echo  loud  peals  of  laughter. 

SELF-KNOWLEDGE. 

How  is  it  that  no  one  tries  to  descend  into  him- 
self? But  our  eyes  are  fixed  on  the  loaded  back 
that  walks  before  us.  < 

So  Romans  xi.  1 : — 

"  Therefore  thou  art  inexcusable,  O  man,  whosoever  thou 
art  that  judgest:  for  wherein  thou  judgest  another,  thoucou- 
demnest  thyself;  for  thou  that  judgest  doest  the  same 
things." 

SELF-KNOWLEDGE. 

Retire  into  thyself,  and  thou  wilt  blush  to  find 
how  poor  a  stock  is  there. 


PJERS1US.  405 


Air-blown  trifles,  fit  only  to  give  weight  to 
smoke. 

DIFFERENCES  OF  OPINION. 

Countless  are  the  various  species  of  mankind, 
and  the  shades  that  separate  mind  from  mind. 
Each  has  his  will,  and  each  pursues  his  own. 

TO-MORROW. 

In  midnight  study,  seek,  ye  young  and  old,  a 
specific  object  for  your  mind  and  supply  for  your 
miserable  old  age.     "  It  shall  be  done  to-morrow." 
"  To-morrow,  thou  wilt  make  the  same  answer." 
"What,  dost  thou  look  upon  one  day  as  such  a 
precious  gift?"     "But  when  that  other  day  has 
dawned,  we  have   already  spent  yesterday's  to- 
morrow.    For  see,  another  to-morrow  wears  away 
our  years,  and  will  always  be  a  little  beyond  thee. 
For  though  it  is  so  near  thee,  and  guided  by  the 
self-same  pole,  thou  wilt  in  vain  try  to  overtake 
the  felloe  that  revolves  before  thee,  since  thou  art 
the  hinder  wheel,  and  on  the  second  axle." 
So  Shakespeare  ("  Macbeth,"  act  v.  sc.  5)  says: — 
"To-morrow,  and  to-morrow,  and  to-morrow, 
Creeps  in  this  petty  pace  from  day  to  day, 
To  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time ; 
And  all  our  yesterdays  have  lighted  fools 
The  way  to  dusty  death." 
And  Cowley: — 

"  Our  yesterday's  to-morrow  now  is  gone, 
And  still  a  new  to-morrow  does  come  on, 
We  by  to-morrows  draw  out  all  our  store, 
Till  the  exhausted  well  can  yield  no  more." 

FREEDOM. 

Is  any  one  else,  then,  a  freeman  but  he  that 
may  live  as  he  pleases? 


406  PERXIU8. 

HYPOCRISY. 

Though  thy  face  is  glossed  with  specious  art, 
thou  retainest  the  cunning  fox  beneath  thy  vapid 
breast. 

Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  bk.  iii.  1.  633)  thus  describes  hy- 
pocrisy:— 

"  For  neither  Man  nor  Angel  can  discern 
Hypocrisy,  that  only  evil  that  walks 
Invisible,  except  to  GfCd  alone, 
By  His  permissive  will,  through  Heaven  and  Earth." 

Shakespeare  ("  Measure  for  Measure,"  act  iii.  sc.  2): — 

"  O,  what  may  man  within  him  hide, 
Though  angel  on  the  outward  side!  " 

EBAY  A  FOOL  IN  A  MORTAR. 

But  there  is  no  incense  offered  to  the  gods  by 
which  thou  canst  gain,  this  boon,  that  one  short 
half-ounce  of  Eight  can  be  infixed  in  fools.  To 
bray  these  things  together  is  an  impossibility. 

THE  MIND. 

Within  and  in  thy  morbid  breast  there  spring 
up  masters. 

ENJOY  THE  PRESENT. 

Indulge  thyself !  let  us  pluck  the  sweets  of  life ! 
that  thou  really  livest  is  my  boon :  thou  wilt  soon 
become  ashes,  a  ghost  and  a  gossip's  tale.  Live 
mindful  of  death.  Time  presses:  this  very  word 
I  speak  is  subtracted  from  it. 

So  Gifford  thus  paraphrases  the  lines;— 

"  Oh  rather  cultivate  the  joys  of  sense, 
And  crop  the  sweets  which  youth  and  health  dispense ; 
Give  the  light  hours  to  banquets,  love,  and  wine ; 
These  are  the  zest  of  life,  and  these  are  mine ! 


PETEONIUS  AEBITEE.  407 

Dust  and  a  shade  are  all  you  soon  must  be; 
Live,  then,  while  yet  you  may.    Time  presses.— See ! 
Even  while  I  speak,  the  present  is  become 
The  past,  and  lessens  still  life's  lit.le  sum." 

DIFFERENT  DISPOSITIONS   IN   THE   SAME   FAMILY. 

The  star  that  presides  over  the  natal  hour  pro- 
duces twins  with  widely-differing'  dispositions. 

GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER. 

Well,  ask  me  who  my  great-great-grandfather 
was!  I  could  tell  you  certainly,  but  not  -very 
readily.  Go  yet  a  step  farther  back  and  one  more: 
you  will  find  he  is  a  son  of  earth  I 


PETEONIUS  ARBITER. 

FLOURISHED   A.D.  50. 

CAIUS  PETRONIUS,  a  celebrated  voluptuary  at 
the  court  of  Nero,  is  called  by  Tacitus  (Ann.  xvi. 
18,  19)  arbiter  elegant-ice.  He  passed  his  days  in 
slumbers  and  his  nights  in  revelry.  He  was  con- 
sul A.D.  01,  when  he  is  said  to  have  discharged 
his  official  duties  with  energy.  He  then  relapsed 
to  his  former  habits,  and  was  admitted  among  the 
few  chosen  companions  of  the  prince.  Being  sus- 
pected, however,  of  being  implicated  in  the  con- 
spiracy of  Scsevinus,  he  put  himself  to  death  by 
opening  his  veins  in  a  warm  bath  A.D.  66.  He  is 
believed  to  be  the  author  of  what  bears  the  title 
of  Petronii  Arbitri  Satyr  icon,  a  prose  narrative  in- 
terspersed with  numerous  pieces  of  poetry,  a  kind 
of  comic  romance,  in  which  the  adventurers  of  cer- 


408  PETROXIU8  ARBITER. 

tain  parties  enable  him  to  hold  up  to  ridicule  the 
folly  and  dishonesty  of  all  classes  of  the  commu- 
nity in  the  country  in  which  the  scene  is  laid.  The 
coarseness  and  olscenity  of  the  descriptions,  are 
a  proof  of  the  pollution  of  the  age  in  which  it  was 
written. 

SPAEE  NOT  THE  ROD. 

Parents  are  worthy  of  reproof  who  are  unwilling 
to  do  good  to  their  children  by  severe  discipline. 

So  Proverbs  xiii.  24: — 

"He  that  spareth  his  rod  hateth  his  son:  but  he  that  loveth 
him  chasteneth  him  betimes." 

LAUGHTER. 

He  burst  his  sides  with  immoderate  laughter. 

NOT  A  MAN,   BUT  A  MEKE   SHADOW. 

A  mere  phantom,  not  a  man. 

This  is  like  what  Shakespeare  ("Macbeth,"  act  iii.  sc.  1) 
says:— 

Mur.  We  are  men,  my  liege. 

Mac.  Ay,  in  the  catalogue  ye  go  for  men." 

A  PHYSICIAN. 

A  physician  is  nothing  else  than  a  satisfaction 
to  the  mind. 

NOT  A  MAN,   BUT  PEPPER  ITSELF. 

Pungent  as  pepper,  and  not  a  human  being. 

ALL  ARE  SINNERS. 

Every  one  of  us  is  a  sinner.    We  are  men,  not 
gods. 

So  Romans  iii.  £3:— 

"  For  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God." 


PETRONIUS  ARBITER.  409 

HYPOCRISY  WILL  BE  DETECTED. 

Our  natural  countenance  returns,  the  assumed 
one  passes  away. 

CHANGE   OF   FORTUNE. 

While  Fortune  is  steady,  you  have  a  gay  coun- 
tenance, my  friends;  when  she  vanishes,  you  dis- 
appear basely  in  flight. 

POVERTY. 

Poverty  is  closely  allied  to  a  sound  mind. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Polyid.  10)  says:— 

"Poverty  is  wont  to  acquire  wisdom  through  misfortune." 

BEAUTY   AND   WISDOM. 

Beauty  and  wisdom  are  rarely  conjoined. 
Homer  (Odyss.  xvii.  454)  expresses  the  same  idea:— 
"  Thou  hast  not  wisdom  with  thy  fair  form." 

ANGER. 

In  rugged  and  uncultivated  countries  the  snow 
lies  longer  on  the  ground,  but  when  it  has  been 
subject  to  the  plough,  it  speedily  disappears; 
whilst  thou  art  speaking,  the  light  hoar-frost  van- 
ishes; in  the  same  way  anger  affects  our  breast; 
it  fixes  itself  in  the  uneducated,  but  in  the  minds 
that  have  been  under  cultivation  it  quickly  sub- 
sides. 

MIND   IN   SLEEP. 

When  repose  steals  over  the  limbs,  extended  in 
sleep,  and  the  mind  disports  without  restraint. 

LOST   OPPORTUNITIES. 

The  mind  longs  for  what  it  has  lost,  and  is 
wholly  intent  upon  the  past. 

'•  Can  a  mill  go  with  the  water  that's  pa:  t  •-.  " 


410  PETRONIUS  ARBITER. 

ENVY  AND  LUXURY. 

The  vulture,  which  gnaws  the  liver  and  distracts 
the  breast,  is  not  that  which  the  poets  imagine, 
but  the  diseases  of  the  heart,  envy  and  luxurious 
habits. 

ALL   THE   WORLD'S   A   STAGE. 

Almost  the  whole  world  practises  the  art  of  the 
player. 
So  Shakespeare  ("  As  You  Like  It,"  act  ii.  sc.  1)  says:— 

"  All  the  world's  a  stage, 
And  all  the  men  and  women  merely  players." 
In  the  Greek  Anthology  we  have — 
"  This  life,  a  theatre  we  well  may  call, 
Where  every  actor  must  perform  with  art, 
Or  laugh  it  through,  and  make  a  farce  of  all, 
Or  learn  to  bear  with  grace  his  tragic  part." — BLAND. 
So  Massinger  ("  The  Roman  Actor,"  act  i.  sc.  3): — 

Aretinus.    Are  you  on  the  stage, 
You  talk  so  boldly  ? 

Paris.    The  whole  world  being  one, 
This  place  is  not  exempted. 

FEAR   FIRST   MADE   GODS. 

It  was  fear  that  first  introduced  gods  into  the 
world. 

BLABBERS   OF   SECRETS. 

Men  could  more  easily  hold  fire  in  their  mouths 
than  keep  secrets.  Whatever  you  utter  at  court 
gets  abroad,  and  excites  the  world  with  sudden 
reports. 


PH^EDRUS.  411 

PH^DRUS. 

FLOURISHED  PROBABLY  ABOUT  A.D.  20. 

PH^EDRUS  is  the  writer  of  ninety-seven  fables  in 
Latin  iambic  verse,  divided  into  five  books.  Lit- 
tle of  his  personal  history  is  known.  He  was 
originally  a  slave,  being  brought  up  from  Thrace 
or  Macedonia,  and  from  the  title  of  his  work  we 
may  infer  that  he  belonged  to  Augustus,  who  be- 
stowed on  him  his  freedom. 

THE   POWERFUL. 

A  partnership  with  men  in  power  is  never  safe. 

BRAINS. 

Oh,  what  a  rare  head-piece  if  only  it  had  brains ! 

ADVICE. 

Not  to  attend  to  our  own  affairs,  but  to  be  em- 
ployed in  giving  advice  to  our  neighbors,  is  the 
act  of  a  fool. 

A   CHEAT. 

Whoever  has  once  become  notorious  for  deceit, 
even  if  he  speaks  the  truth,  gains  no  belief. 

So  Jeremiah  ix.  4,  5:— 

';  Take  ye  heed  every  one  of  his  neighbor,  and  trust  ye  not 
in  any  brother:  for  every  brother  will  utterly  supplant,  and 
every  neighbor  will  walk  with  slanders.  And  they  will  de- 
ceive every  one  his  neighbor,  and  will  not  speak  the  truth: 
they  have  taught  their  tongue  to  speak  lies,  and  weary  them- 
selves to  commit  iniquity." 

A  BRAGGART. 

A  coward  who  brags  of  his  courage,  may  de- 


412  PH^EDBUS. 

ceive  strangers,  but  is  the  laughing-stock  of  those 
who  know  him. 

REPENTANCE. 

He  who  takes  pleasure  in  flattering  words,  gen- 
erally pays  for  his  folly  by  repentance,  though  it 
be  late. 

THE  POOR. 

In  a  change  of  government,  the  poor  seldom 
change  anything  except  the  name  of  their  master. 

LIARS. 
Liars  are  wont  to  pay  the  penalty  of  their  guilt. 

So  Psalm  v.  6:— 

"  Thou  shalt  destroy  them  that  speak  leasing:  the  Lord  will 
abhor  the  bloody  and  deceitful  mau. 

SMOOTH   SPEECHES. 

The  fair  speeches  of   the  wicked  are  full  of 
treachery. 
Milton  says:— 

"  All  was  false  and  hollow,  though  his  tongue 
Drops  manna,  and  could  make  the  worst  appear 
The  better  reason." 
And  Hood:— 

"  '  Rogue  that  I  am,'  he  whispers  to  himself, 
'  I  lie,  I  cheat — do  anything  for  help, 
But  who  on  earth  can  say  I  am  not  friar  ? '  " 

AN   ILL- JUDGED   PLAN. 

An  ill-judged  plan  is  not  only  profitless,  but  also 
leads  men  to  destruction. 

LOST   DIGNITY. 

Whoever  has  fallen  from  his  former  high  estate  • 
is  in  his  calamity  the  scorn  even  of  the  base. 


PH^DRUS.  413 

SUDDEN   LIBERALITY. 

A  man  that  is  generous  all  at  once  may  dupe  the 
fool,  but  it  is  in  vain  that  he  prepares  snares  for 
the  wise. 

THE   POOK  IMITATING   THE   GREAT. 

The  poor,  when  he  tries  to  ape  the  powerful, 
comes  to  ruin. 

Cowper  says: — 

"  Dress  drains  our  cellar  dry. 
And  keeps  our  larder  lean." 

TO   GIVE   BAD   ADVICE   TO   THE   WISE. 

Those  who  give  bad  advice  to  the  prudent,  both 
lose  their  pains  and  are  laughed  to  scorn. 

PUNISHMENT. 

Every  one  ought  to  bear  with  patience  the  fruits 
of  his  own  conduct. 

THE   EXALTED. 

Men,  however  exalted  may  be  their  sphere, 
ought  to  be  on  their  guard  against  the  lowly,  for 
skill  and  address  may  enable  them  to  take  revenge. 

FOOLS  RAISING  A  LAUGH. 

Fools  often,  while  they  try  to  raise  a  silly  laugh, 
provoke  by  their  insulting  language,  and  bring 
themselves  into  serious  danger. 

SUBJECTS   SUFFER. 

Men  of  low  degree  suffer  when  the  powerful  dis- 
agree. 

THE   SUCCESS   OF   THE   WICKED. 

The  success  of  the  wicked  is  a  temptation  to 
many. 


414  PH^DRUS. 

BUST-BODIES. 

Idly  bustling  here  and  there,  with  much  ado 
doing  nothing. 

OUR  OWN  AFFAIRS. 

The  master  (as  the  tale  declares) 
Looks  sharpest  to  his  own  affairs. 

TRUTH. 

It  is  dangerous  alike  to  give  or  withhold  assent; 
therefore  we  ought  to  investigate  strictly  the  truth 
rather  than  allow  an  erroneous  impression  to  per- 
vert our  judgment. 

WHAT  IS   TRULY   DISGRACEFUL. 

That  only  is  really  disgraceful  to  a  man  which 
he  has  deserved  to  suffer. 

GLORY. 

Unless  what  we  do  be  useful,  vain  is  our  glory. 

APPEARANCES. 

Things  are  not  always  what  they  seem  to  be; 
first  appearances  deceive  many. 

So  John  vii.  34,  says: — 

"  Judge  not  according  to  the  appearance." 

THE   MOTE   IN   OUR  OWN   EYE. 

Hence  we  are  not  able  to  see  our  own  faults: 
when  others  transgress,  we  are  lynx-eyed  to  see 
theirs. 

RICHES. 

Riches  are  deservedly  despised  by  a  man  of 
honor,  because  a  well-stored  chest  intercepts  the 
truth. 


PLA  UTUS.  415 

GRIEVANCES. 

It  is  dangerous  for  a  man  of  humble  birth  to 
grumble  in  public. 

THE    LEARNED   MAX. 

The  learned  man  has  always  riches  within  him- 
self. 

EACH   MAN  HAS   PECULIARITIES. 

Since  each  has  a  turn  of  thinking  of  his  own  and 
a  tone  peculiar  to  himself. 

ADDING   INSULT  TO  INJURY. 

What  wilt  thou  do  to  thyself,  who  hast  added 
insult  to  injury. 

RASHNESS. 

Eashness  brings  luck  to  a  few,  misfortune  to 
many. 


PLAUTUS. 

BORN  PROBABLY  ABOUT  B.C.  254 — DIED  B.C.  184. 

T.  MACCIUS  PLAUTUS,  the  most  celebrated  comic 
poet  of  Rome,  a  native  of  Sarsina,  was  of  humble 
origin,  being  employed  at  first  as  a  workman  in 
the  service  of  the  actors  of  the  st^age.  In  this  way 
he  accumulated  a  small  sum  of  money,  but,  having 
lost  it  in  trade,  he  was  obliged  to  gain  a  liveli- 
hood by  working  a  hand-mill,  grinding  corn  for  a 
baker.  He  commenced  to  write  plays  a  few  years 


416  PLAUTUS. 

before  the  breaking  out  of  the  Second  Punic  War, 
and  continued  his  literary  labors  for  about  forty 
years.  We  possess  only  twenty  comedies  of 
Plautus,  though  in  the  time  of  Varro  there  were 
130  plays  which  bore  his  name. 

THE  SEASONABLE  AND  UNREASONABLE. 

From  the  reasonable  to  ask  what  is  not  reason- 
able is  not  right;  from  the  unreasonable  to  ask 
what  is  reasonable  is  mere  madness. 

MEEIT. 

We  should  try  to  succeed  by  merit,  not  by  favor. 
He,  who  acquits  himself  well,  will  always  have 
enough  of  patrons. 

TIME   STANDS   STILL. 

I  believe  this  night  the  god  of  Night  has  gone 
to  bed  drunk,  for  neither  do  the  Seven  Stars  move 
in  any  direction  in  the  sky,  nor  does  the  moon 
change  her  position,  but  is  where  she  rose;  nor 
does  Orion,  or  the  Evening  Star,  or  the  Pleiades 
set.  So  entirely  stock-still  are  the  stars  standing, 
and  the  night  is  yielding  not  a  peg  to  the  day. 

PLEASURES   AND   SORROW   OF   LIFE. 

Are  not  the  pleasures  of  life  and  of  our  exist- 
ence scanty  in  comparison  with  our  troubles? 
Such  is  the  lot  of  man.  Thus  it  has  pleased 
heaven  that  Sorrow  should  tread  on  the  heels  of 
Pleasure  and  be  her  companion;  for  if  aught  of 
good  befall  us,  more  of  trouble  and  ill  forthwith 
attend  us. 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1089)  says:— 
"  There  is  no  life  that  does  not  meet  with  some  evils,  grief, 
sorrows,  plundering,  torture,  diseases:  death  appe-ari.ijj  li^e 


PL  A  UTUS.  417 

a  physician  releases  the  afflicted  from  all  these,  causing  them 
to  cease  by  sleep." 

VALOB. 

Valor  is  the  best  reward ;  it  is  valor  assuredly 
that  surpasses  all  things  else;  our  liberty,  safety, 
life,  estate,  parents,  country,  too,  and  children  are 
by  this  preserved  and  defended:  valor  comprises 
everything  in  itself ;  all  blessings  await  the  man 
who  is  possessed  of  valor. 

WOMAN'S  DOWRY. 

I  do  not  consider  that  to  be  my  portion  which  is 
called  so,  but  chastity  and  modesty,  subdued  de- 
sires, reverence  of  the  gods,  affection  for  my 
parents,  and  friendship  with  my  kindred — that  I 
should  be  obedient  to  you,  bounteous  to  the  good, 
and  ever  ready  to  assist  the  virtuous. 

JEST. 

If  anything  is  spoken  in  jest,  it  is  not  fair  to 
turn  it  to  earnest. 

LIFE   OF   MAN. 

For  in  the  life  of  men  many  things  fall  out  in 
thisfwise — men  take  their  fill  of  pleasure,  then 
again  of  misery.  Quarrels  spring  up,  and  again 
they  are  reconciled;  but  when  these  kind  of  quar- 
rels arise  between  loving  souls,  if  they  are  recon- 
ciled, they  are  doubly  friends  that  they  were 
before. 

TO   FOLLOW   ONE'S   INCLINATION. 

He  does  right,  inasmuch  as  ho  follows  his  incli- 
nation, a  thing  that  all  men  ought  to  do,  so  long 
as  it  is  done  in  a  proper  manner. 
27 


418  PLAUTUS. 

TRUSTING  IS   GOOD   FOK  NAUGHT. 

I  do  not  purchase  with  money  day-light,  water, 
sun,  nor  moon,  nor  night;  what  else  we  want  we 
buy  for  ready  money.  If  we  want  bread  from  the 
bakers,  wine  from  the  vaults,  if  money  be  sent, 
they  give  the  goods.  We  act  in  the  same  way. 
Our  hands  are  always  full  of  eyes;  they  only 
credit  what  they  see.  It  is  an  old  saying,  "  Money 
down's  the  thing."  Do  you  understand  me  ?  I'll 
say  no  more. 

GAIN. 

He  who  would  seek  for  gain,  must  be  at  some 
expense. 

This  is  our  proverb:  "  Nothing  venture,  nothing  win."  This 
expression  is  said  to  have  been  often  in  the  mouth  of  Louis 
XII.  of  France. 


FORTITUDE. 

He  who  endures  misfortune  with  firmness,  after- 
wards enjoys  good  fortune. 
Tennyson  says:— 

"  He  shall  find  the  rugged  thistle  bursting 
Into  glossy  purples,  that  outredden 
All  voluptuous  garden  roses." 
And  Young: — 

"  Life's  cares  are  comforts;  such  by  heaven  design'd; 
He  that  lias  none,  must  make  them  or  be  wretched." 

MAN  A   WOLF  TO  MAN. 

Man  is  like  a  wolf  to  man. 

This  is  the  German  proverb:— 

"  One  man  is  the  devil  of  the  other." 
It  is  intended  to  recommend  caution. 


PLAUTUS.  419 

THE  PET  LAMB. 

The  shepherd,    mother,    who   tends    another's 
sheep,  has  some  few  for  himself  that  are  his  pets. 


ALL,  THINGS  NOT  EQUALLY    SWEET    TO    ALL    PER- 
SONS. 

Be  assured  that  all  things  are  not  equally  sweet 
to  all  persons. 

MODESTY. 

It  well  becomes  a  young  man  to  be  modest. 

La  Bruyere  says: — 

"  Modesty  is  to  merit  what  shade  is  to  the  figures  in  a  pict- 
ure: it  gives  it  force  and  relief." 

WOMAN. 

I  know  that  we  women  are  all  justly  accounted 
praters;  they  say  in  the  present  day  that  there 
never  was  in  any  age  such  a  wonder  to  be  found 
as  a  dumb  woman. 

*  Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  568,  M.)  says:— 

"  What  dost  thou  say?  Seeking  to  conceal  a  matter,  will 
you  really  tell  it  to  a  woman  ?  Where,  pray,  is  the  difference 
between  this  and  proclaiming  it  by  all  the  heralds  in  the 
market-place?" 

DAGGERS. 

You  speak  daggers. 
Shakespeare  ("  Hamlet,"  act  iii.  sc.  2)  says:— 

"  I  will  speak  daggers  to  her,  but  use  none." 

CONTENT. 

If  you  are  but  content,  you  have  enough  to  live 
upon  with  comfort. 


420  PLAUTU3. 

BBEAD. 

And  so  he  thinks  to  '  tice  me  like  a  dog, 
By  holding  bread  in  one  hand,  and  a  stone, 
Ready  to  knock  my  brains  out,  in  the  other. 

KINDNESS  TO  A  POOE  MAN. 

I  trust  no  rich  man  who  is  officiously  kind  to  a 
poor  man. 

UNITE  YOURSELF  WITH  THE  VIBTUOUS. 

The  more  closely  you  can  unite  yourself  with 
the  virtuous,  so  much  the  better. 

A  WOMAN  WITH  GOOD  PRINCIPLES. 

Provided  a  woman  be  well  principled,  she  has 
dowry  enough. 

TO  EQUIVOCATE. 

But  I  understand  in  what  way  you,  rich  people, 
equivocate;  an  agreement  is  no  agreement,  no 
agreement  is  an  agreement,  just  as  it  suits  you. 

FEAST  TO-DAY. 

Feast  to-day  makes  fast  to-morrow. 

DRESS  ACCORDING  TO  YOUR  MEANS. 

Those  who  have  display  proportioned  to  their 
means  and  splendor  according  to  their  circum- 
stances, remember  whence  they  are  sprung. 
So  Shakespeare  ("  Hamlet,"  act  ii.  sc.  3):— 

"  Costly  thy  habit  as  thy  purse  can  buy, 

But  not  express'd  in  fancy." 
Montesquieu  says:— 

"In  the  matter  of  dress,  one  should  always  keep  below 
one's  ability." 


PLAUTUS.  421 

BALLS. 

The  gods  hold  us  mortal  creatures  but  as  balls 
to  band  about  in  sport. 

UNINTENTIONAL  GOOD. 

And  so  it  happens  oft 
In  many  instances;  more  good  is  done 
Without  our  knowledge  than  by  us  intended. 

INSIGNIFICANCY  OF   MAN. 

When  I  reflect  upon  it,  what  creatures  are  we 
men!  how  insignificant! 

FKEEMEN  KATHER  THAN  SLAVES. 

Doubtless   we  all  are  freemen  more  willingly 
than  we  live  the  life  of  slaves. 

GOOD. 

Then  at  length  we  come  to  know  our  good,  when 
we  have  lost  it. 

GREAT  GENIUSES. 

How  greatest  geniuses  oft  lie  conceal'd! 

FORTITUDE. 

Our  best  support  and  succor  in  distress  is  forti- 
tude of  mind. 

STRATAGEM. 

A  stratagem  is  no  stratagem  if  it  be  not  artfully 
planned. 

DECEITFULNESS  OF   MEN. 

This  is  too  oft  the  way  with  most  men ; — while 
they  are  suing  for  a  favor,  they  are  gracious;  but      • 


422  1'LAUTUS. 

when  once  they  have  got  it,  from  gracious  they 
become  surly  and  ready  to  take  every  advantage 
over  you. 

THE  CAUTIOUS  ABE    OFTEN    TEICKED. 

And  the  most  cautious,  even  when  he  thinks 
He's  most  upon  his  guard,  is  often  trick'd. 

FORTUNE. 

Fortune  moulds  and  fashions  human  heings  as 
she  chooses. 

GOD. 

There  is  indeed  a  God,  that  hears  and  sees  what- 
e'er  we  do. 

So  Hebrews  iv.  13:— 

"  All  things  are  naked  and  open  unto  tlio  eyes  of  Him  with 
whom  we  have  to  do." 

LOSS  AT  TIMES  TO  BE  PREFERRED  TO  GAIN. 

I  do  not  regard  every  kind  of  gain  as  service- 
able to  man.  I  know  that  gain  has  raised  many 
to  high  eminence.  There  are  times,  however, 
when  loss  should  be  preferred  to  gain. 

KINDNESS  TO  THE   GOOD. 

The  kindnesses  that  are  done  to  the  good,  thanks 
for  the  same,  are  pregnant  with  blessings. 

HIS   OWN  DEAR  TO   EVERY   ONE. 

Mine  to  me  is  dear; 

Dear  is  his  own  to  every  one. 

THE    WRETCHED. 

Wretched  is  the  man  who  is  in  search  of  some- 
thing to  eat  and  linds  that  with  difficulty,  but 


PLAUTU8.  423 

more  wretched  is  lie  who  both  seeks  with  diffi- 
culty and  finds  nothing  at  all;  most  wretched  is 
he  who,  when  he  desires  to  eat,  has  not  that  which 
he  may  eat. 

THE  POOR. 

'Tis  the  nature  of  the  poor  to  hate  and  envy 
men  of  property.  f 

Thomson  says:— 

"  Base  envy  withers  at  another's  joy, 
And  hates  that  excellence  it  cannot  reach." 

THE   PEASANT. 

For  countrymen  always  harrow  before  they 
weed. 

DEATH. 

Death  I  esteem  a  trifle,  wben  not  merited  by 
evil  actions. 

VIBTUE. 
He  who  dies  for  virtue's  sake,  does  not  perish. 

SUKE   AS   DEATH. 

To  die  is  not  more  certain. 

DEATH. 

There  is  no  evil  I  need  dread  in  death  when 
death  is  over.  Though  I  were  to  survive  to  the 
utmost  age  of  man,  yet  the  space  of  time  to  bear 
the  hardships,  with  which  you  threaten  me,  would 
be  short. 

FATTED   LAMB. 

And  bid  them  bring  forthwith  a  fatted  lamb. 


424  PLAUTU8. 

TOO    LATE. 

Go,  fool,  you  come  too  late. 

MAN  REGARDLESS  OF  THOSE    FROM  WHOM  NO 
FAVOK  IS  TO   BE  RECEIVED. 

It  is  the  usual  way  with  men  not  to  remember 
v  or  know  the  man  whose  favor  is  worth  nothing. 

NO   RUMOR  IS   WITHOUT  FOUNDATION. 

Flame  follows  very  close  on  smoke. 
The  Spaniards  say:— 

"  Where  fire  is  made,  smoke  arises." 

LABOR  ATTENDS  EVERY  PURSUIT. 

He  who  would  eat  the  kernel,  must  crack  the 
~  shell. 

LOVE. 

It  is  good  to  love  in  a  moderate  degree;  to  dis- 
traction, it  is  not  good. 

BLESSINGS. 

No  blessing  lasts  forever. 

A  REASONABLE   LOVER. 

Find  me  a  reasonable  lover  against  his  weight 
'  in  gold. 

THE  PROVIDENT. 

i      The  man  who  has  got  rich  speedily,  must  speed- 
ily be  provident  or  speedily  will  starve. 

Queud^ille,  in  his  translation,  says  that  this  was  a  favorite 
maxim  of  Louis  XII.  of  France. 

ABUSE. 

If  abuse  be  uttered  against  those  who  do  not  de- 


PLAUTUS.  425 

serve  it,  that  I  consider  to  be  abuse;  but  if  it  be 
uttered  against  those  who  are  deserving,  it  is  fair 
censure,  in  my  way  of  thinking,  at  least. 
So  Shakespeare  ("Romeo  and  Juliet,"  a^t  ii.  sc.  3): — 
"  Nor  auglit  so  good,  but,  strained  from  that  fair  use, 
Revolts  from  true  birth,  stumbling  on  abuse." 

AN  UNLUCKY  DAY. 

Upon  my  word,  this  day  certainly  has  turned 
out  both  perverse  and  adverse  for  me. 

A  MADMAN. 

The  world  calls  me  mad,  when  they  are  all  mad 
together. 

DEATH. 

Food  for  death. 

A  LOVER  INSENSIBLE  TO  EVERYTHING  BUT  LOVE. 

He  that  is  in  love,  faith,  if  he  be  hungry,  is  not 
hungry  at  all: 

LOVE. 

Love  has  both  its  gall  and  honey  in  abundance; 
it  has  sweetness  to  the  taste,  but  it  presents  bit- 
terness also  to  satiety. 

NO   BLISS   PERPETUAL. 

Such  is  the  state  of  all  things  human,  that  no    ' 
bliss  of  man  is  perpetual. 

SAIL   SHIFTED   ACCORDING   TO   THE   WIND. 

Whichever  way  the  wind  blows  at  sea,  in  that 
direction  the  sail  is  shifted. 


426  PLAUTU8. 

WISDOM. 

"Pis  better  for  one  to  know  more  than  he  utters. 

A  FKIEND   IN   NEED. 

The  man  that  comforts  a  desponding  friend 
With  words  alone,  does  nothing.     He's  a  friend 
Indeed,  who  proves  himself  a  friend  in  need. 

USELESS   TO   BE   BOUNTEOUS   IN   WORDS. 

What  does  it  signify  your  being  bounteous  in 
words,  if  all  real  aid  be  dead  and  gone? 

I  HAVE   NO   INTEREST  IN   THE   MATTER. 

There  is  neither  sowing  nor  reaping  for  me  in 
this  matter. 

•    A  GOOD  LAWYER. 

He  will  be  able  to  take  all  due  precautions,  who 
understands  the  laws  and  ordinances. 

THE  MIND. 

It  were  right  that  a  man  should  hold  up  a  mir- 
ror not  only  to  his  face,  but  to  his  mind;  that  he 
might  see  the  very  heart  of  his  discretion,  and 
judge  its  power  and  extent. 

OLD  MEN. 

But  truth  it  is,  we  old  folks  sometimes  dote, 

A  FRIEND  IN  NEED. 

There  is  nothing  more  desirable  to  a  man  than  a 
friend  in  need. 

MENTAL  AGONY. 

If  there  be  any  misery  for  which  a  man  ought 
to  be  pitied,  it  is  when  the  malady  is  in  his  mind. 


PL  A  UTUS.  427 

This  I  experience  when  many  shapes  of  ill  assail 
me:  many  forms  of  sorrow,  poverty,  fear,  alarm 
my  innocent  mind. 

SMELL. 
Puppies  have  one  smell,  pigs  quite  another. 

TO   REAP   EVIL   FOB   GOOD. 

How  hard  it  is,  when  you  reap  a  harvest  of  evil 
for  good  that  you  have  done. 

COAXING   IS   MERE   BIRD-LIME. 

Your  coaxing  is  mere  bird-lime. 

MAN  PROPOSES. 

Man  proposes,  God  disposes. 

A   FRIEND. 

A  man,  your  friend,  who  is  a  friend  such  as  the 
name  imports — except  the  gods— nothing  does  ex- 
cel him. 

THE  UNGRATEFUL. 

For,  by  Pollux !  nothing  is,  in  my  opinion,  more 
base  than  an  ungrateful  man.  It  is  better  that  a 
thief  should  escape,  than  that  a  generous  friend 
should  be  forsaken.  It  is  better  to  be  extravagant, 
than  to  be  called  ungrateful.  Good  men  will 
praise  that,  even  bad  men  will  condemn  the  latter. 

MODESTY. 

For  him  I  reckon  lost,  who's  lost  to  shame. 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1003,  M.)  says:-— 

"There  is  no  creature  more  bold  than  the  shameless." 

FALSE   FRIENDS. 

There  are  many  of  such  life  and  manners,  who, 


428  PLAUTUS. 

when  you  think  them  friends,  are  found  most 
false,  profuse  in  promises,  sparing  in  deeds,  of  in- 
firm faith.  There  are  none  of  them  who  do  not 
envy  those  whom  fortune  prospers:  by  their  in- 
dolence they  take  good  care  to  escape  all  envy. 

A  WORTHLESS   MAN. 

I  set  little  value  on  the  esteem  of  a  worthless 
man. 

DEATH  IN  YOUTH. 

He  whom  the  gods  love  dies  young,  while  he  is 
in  health,  has  his  senses  and  his  judgment  sound. 

Theognis  (425)  says: — 

•'  It  is  indeed  the  best  thing  of  all  for  mortals  not  to  be 
born  nor  to  see  the  rays  of  the  bright  sun;  but  if  born  to 
enter  as  speadily  as  possible  the  gates  of  Pluto,  and  [to  lie 
down  with  much  earth  heaped  upon  him." 

TKOUBLES. 

1      Know  this,  that  troubles  come  on  us  swifter 
much  than  things  we  wish. 

TBUTH. 

I  love  truth,  and  wish  to  have  it  always  spoken 
to  me :  I  hate  a  liar. 

THINGS   UNHOPED   FOR. 

!       Things  we  hope  not  for  oftener  come    to  pass 
,  than  things  we  wish  for. 

"  TO   WHITEN   A  BLACKAMOOR." 

It  is  the  same  as  if  you  were  to  try  to  whiten 
ivory  with  ink. 

This  is  applied  to  those  whose  design  is  good,  but  marred  in 
the  execution. 


PLAUTUS.  429 

WOMAN'S  BEST  SMELL. 

A  woman's  Lest  smell  is  to  smell  of  nothing. 
For  these  your  anointed  hags,  who  still  new  vamp 
themselves,  and  hide  their  wrinkles  with  paint,  / 
when  once  the  sweat  and  perfume  mix.  will  stink 
worse  than  the  greasy  compound,  when  a  cook 
pours  all  his  broths  together. 

MISCONDUCT. 

Ill  conduct  soils  the  finest  ornaments  worse  than 
dirt. 

PROCRASTINATION  IS  BAD. 

It  is  a  miserable  thing  to  be  digging  a  well  at 
the  moment  when  thirst  has  seized  your  throat. 

STEADINESS. 

It  does  not  matter  a  feather  whether  a  man  be 
supported  by  patron  or  client,  if  he  himself  wants 
steadiness  and  courage. 

GUILTY  CONSCIENCE. 

Nothing  so  wretched  as  a  guilty  conscience.    - 

A  LIE. 

By  Hercules !  I  have  often  heard  that  your  pip- 
ing-hot lie  is  the  best  of  lies :  what  the  gods  dictate, 
that  is  right. 

MASTERS   AND  SERVANTS. 

As  servants  wish  their  masters  to  be,  such  is  he 
wont  to  be.  Masters  are  good  to  the  good,  severe 
to  him  who  is~bad. 


430  PLAUTUS. 

DANGEROUS  TO   GO  TO  LAW. 

You  little  know  what  a  ticklish  thing  it  is  to  go 
to  law. 

ADVICE   FROM   SACRED   TEMPLES. 

Counsels  are  of  higher  sanction  when  taken  in 
sacred  places. 

A  HANDSOME   MAN. 

'Tis  really  a  very  great  plague  to  be  too  hand- 
some a  man. 

WOMAN  FULL  OF  WILES. 

She  has  a  lying  tongue,  a  wit  that  is  ripe  for 
mischief,  an  undaunted  assurance;  she  has  at 
home  within  herself  a  mind  fraught  with  false 
words,  false  actions,  and  false  oaths.  For  a 
woman,  if  she  is  bent  on  ill,  never  goes  begging  to 
the  gardener  for  material;  she  has  a  garden  at  home 
and  a  stock  of  her  own  for  all  mischievous  con- 
trivances. 

IGNORANCE   IS    SOMETIMES   BEST. 

Know  not  what  you  know,  and  see  not  what  you 
,    see. 

Kirke  White  says:— 

"  Oh  Ignorance 
Thou  art  fallen  man's  best  friend." 

GOOD   COUNSEL. 

For  a  well-devised  plan  is  very  often  filched 
away,  if  the  place  for  speaking  be  not  chosen  with 
care  and  caution;  for  if  the  enemy  learn  your 
plans,  they  can  tie  your  tongue  and  bind  your 
hands  with  your  own  counsel,  and  do  the  same  to 
you  that  you  intended  to  do  to  them. 


PL  A  UTU8.  431 

JUST  AND   GOOD. 

The  sway  is  easy  o'er  the  just  and  good.  - 

GREEN   OLD   AGE. 

What  though  his  hair  be  gray,  he  is  not  old  in 
mind. 

HE   WHO   FINDS   FAULT   WITH  THE    GODS. 

He  who  would  blame  the  designs  of  the  gods, 
must  be  foolish  and  ignorant. 

A  GUEST. 

No  one  can  be  such  a  welcome  guest  in  the 
house  of  a  friend,  that  he  will  not  become  a  bore 
when  he  has  stayed  three  continuous  days. 

WISDOM. 

Every  man,  however  wise,  requires  the  advice  of 
some  sagacious  friend  in  the  affairs  of  life. 

WOMAN. 

If  a  woman  lias  any  malicious  mischief  to  do,  in 
that  case  her  memory  is  immortal  in  remembering 
it  forever;  if  any  good  or  honorable  deed  is  to 
be  done,  it  will  fall  out  that  those  same  women 
become  oblivious  that  instant  and  cannot  remem- 
ber. 

TO   DROWN   HIS   VOICE   BY   TALKING. 

You  drown  his  voice  by  your  talking. 

WHAT   WE   ARE   ASHAMED  OF. 

We  bear  with  more  ease  what  we  are  ashamed 
of,  than  what  we  are  vexed  at. 


432  PL  A  UTUS. 

CO5IPLAIN  TO   YOUR  STEPMOTHER. 

Complain  to  your  stepmother. 
This  is  a  hard  hit  at  stepmothers. 

LABOR  LOST. 

All  we  say  is  just  like  pouring  water  into  a 
sieve.  Our  labor  is  all  in  vain. 

TALE-BEAKEBS. 

Tour  tittle-tattlers,  and  those  who  listen  to 
slander,  by  my  good  will,  should  all  be  hanged — 
the  former  by  their  tongues,  the  latter  by  the  ears. 

COURAGE  IN  A  DANGEROUS  CRISIS. 

Courage  in  danger  is  half  of  the  crisis  got  over. 

TO   SEE   THROUGH   A  CLOUD   DARKLY. 

There  are  some  things  respecting  which  we 
wish  to  question  you,  which  we  ourselves  know 
and  have  heard  imperfectly  as  through  a  cloud. 

THE   MOTE   IN   YOUR  OWN  EYE. 

Do  you  never  look  back  at  yourself,  when  you 
abuse  another  person  ? 

FORTUNE. 

It  is  the  goddess  Fortune  alone  that  gets  the 
better  of  a  hundred  wise  heads;  and  there  is  truth 
in  this,  that  according  as  each  takes  advantage  of 
her,  he  advances  in  life,  and  hence  we  all  declare 
that  such  an  one  is  a  man  of  sense:  when  we  hear 
of  a  man  being  successful,  that,  in  our  eyes,  is  a 
proof  of  wisdom;  when  he  fails,  he  is  a  fool.  Fools 
that  we  are,  when  we  pray  the  gods  to  grant  us 


PLA  UTUS.  433 

what  we  wish,  we  know  not,  or  if  we  do,  it  is  in 
vaiii,  what  will  be  to  our  advantage.  We  lose  a 
certainty  and  grasp  a  shadow.  What  follows,  but 
that  in  the  midst  of  labors  and  sorrows,  death 
creeps  upon  us  in  the  interim. 

WINE  TRIPS  us  UP. 

This  is  the  great  fault  in  wine:  it  first  trips  up 
the  feet,  it  is  a  cunning  wrestler. 


The  man,  who  wants  to  be  fully  employed, 
should  procure  a  woman  and  a  ship ;  for  no  two 
things  produce  more  trouble — if  perchance  you 
begin  to  rig  them,  these  two  things  can  never  be 
rigged  enough. 

GOLDEN   MEAN. 

In  everything  the  golden  mean  is  best:  all  things 
in  excess  are  a  plague. 

EXCESSIVE   OUTLAY. 

For  no  profits  can  arise,  if  the  outlay  exceeds 
them. 

A  GOOD  DISPOSITION. 

A  good  disposition  I  far  prefer  to  gold;  for  gold 
is  the  gift  of  fortune ;  goodness  of  disposition  is 
the  gift  of  nature.  I  prefer  much  rather  to  be 
called  good  than  fortunate. 

EVIL,   HABITS. 

Evil  habits  soil  a  fine  dress  more  than  mud; 
good  manners^  by  their  deeds,  easily  set  off  a  lowly 
garb. 
28 


434  PL  A  UTUS. 

GOOD  WINE  REQUIRES  NO  BUSH. 

To  unsaleable  wares  we  must  try  to  entice  the 
buyer;  good  wares  easily  find  a  purchaser,  al- 
though they  be  hid  in  a  corner. 

A  TARDY  FRIEND. 

Nothing  is  more  annoying  than  a  tardy  friend. 

YOU  ARE  AS   SLOW  AS  A  SNAIL. 

You  have  surpassed  a  snail  in  slowness. 

A  GUIDE. 

The  man  who  does  not  know  his  way  to  the  sea, 
should  always  take  a  river  for  his  guide. 

TO   DO   GOOD   TO   THE   BAD. 

To  do  good  to  the  bad  is  a  danger  just  as  great 
as  to  do  bad  to  the  good.     If  thou  doest  good  to 
'    the  bad,  the  benefit  is  lost. 

RICH  MEN. 

t  But  such  is  the  disposition  of  all  those  rich  peo- 
ple of  ours:  serve  them,  their  thanks  are  lighter 

:  than  a  feather;  offend  them,  their  vengeance  falls 
like  lead. 

ILL   GOT,    ILL   SPENT. 

For  what  is  ill  got  is  ill  spent. 


Great  Jove!  who  dost  preserve  and  guard  man- 
kind, by  whom  we  live  and  breathe  this  vital  air, 
on  whom  depends  the  hope  of  human  life,  grant 
this  day  to  be  prosperous  to  my  fortunes. 


PLAUTUS.  435 

THE   GREATEST   FAULT   OF   WOMEN. 

Many  are  the  faults  of  women ;  but  of  the  many, 
this  one  is  the  greatest,  to  please  themselves  too 
much  and  to  give  their  attention  too  little  to 
pleasing  the  men. 

THE   UNGRATEFUL. 

Thou  lovest  nothing  at  all,  when  thou  art  in 
love  with  one,  who  does  not  return  it. 

DISGEACE   ADDED  TO  POVERTY. 

If  'disgrace  be  added  to  poverty,  poverty  must 
be  more  unendurable,  our  character  more  frail. 

SLANDER. 

For  enemies  carry  about  slander  not  in  the  form 
in  which  it  took  its  rise. 

DISGRACE. 

Disgrace  is  immortal,  and  lives  when  one  would 
think  it  dead. 

ATTENTION. 

If  thou  attendest  to  any  matter  with  steadiness 
or  with  good  management,  it  usually  succeeds  to 
thy  satisfaction. 

THE  GODS. 

The  man  to  whom  the  gods  are  propitious,  they 
throw  some  profit  in  his  way. 

EXPERIENCE. 

It  is  sweeter  to  gain  wisdom  from  other's  woes, 
than  others  should  learn  from  curs. 


436  PLAUTUS. 

THE  WORTHLESS. 

For  worthless  is  the  man,  who  knows  how  to 
receive  a  kindness,  and  knows  not  how  to  return 
it. 

REGISTER  OF   GOOD  AND  EVIL  DEEDS. 

Jove,  supreme  sovereign  of  gods  and  men,  scat- 
ters us  among  nations  to  mark  the  people's  ac- 
tions, manners,  piety,  and  faith,  that  each  may 
find  reward  according  to  his  virtues;  those  who 
suborn  false  witnesses  to  gain  a  villanous  suit  in 
law,  who  shuffle  off  due  payments  by  false  swear- 
ing, their  names  written  down,  we  return  to  Jove: 
each  day  he  is  informed  of  those  that  call  for 
vengeance. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Melan.  12)  says:— 

"  A.  Do  you  think  that  the  wicked  deeds  ot  men  fly  on 
wings  up  to  the  gods,  there  to  be  written  down  in  the  port- 
folio of  Jove,  and  that  Jove  looks  at  them  assigning  punish- 
ment for  each?  Why,  the  whole  of  heaven  would  not  be  able 
to  contain  the  sins  of  mankind,  so  numerous  are  they,  nor 
would  he  be  able  to  read  and  affix  the  penalty  to  each ;  but 
1  •vengeance  dwells  very  close  to  us,uf  we  will  only  look.  B. 
O  woman,  the  gods  inflict  punishment  on  those  whom  they 
hate,  since  wickedness  is  not  agreeable  to  them." 

WICKED  MEN. 

Wicked  men  fondly  imagine  that  they  can  ap- 
pease Jove  with  gifts  and  sacrifice,  losing  both 
their  labor  and  their  money:  this  is  so;  because 
no  petition  of  the  perjured  is  acceptable  to  him. 
The  good  will  sooner  find  pardon  from  above,  in 
praying  to  the  gods,  than  he  that  is  wicked. 

OTHERS'  MISFORTUNES. 

The  storied  miseries  of  men's  mishaps 
(How  sad  soe'or  relation  sets  them  forth), 


PLA  UTUS.  437 

Are  far  less  sharp  than  those  we  know  and  feel 
Ourselves  from  sore  experience. 

UNEXPECTED   GOOD. 

For  I  know  good  oft  befalls  us  when  we  least 
expect  it  :  and  true  it  is,  that  when  we  trust  in 
hope,  we  are  often  disappointed. 

EQUANIMITY. 

A  well-balanced  mind  is  the  best  remedy  against 
affliction. 

THE   GODS   MAKE   SPORT   OF   MEN. 

In  wondrous  ways  the  gods  make  sport  of  men, 
and  in  wondrous  fashions  they  send  dreams  in 
sleep. 

UNEXPECTED   GOOD. 

For  I  know  that  much  good  befalls  many  con- 
trary to  expectation. 

THE   SLOTHFUL. 

Most  worthless  is  the  man  that  is  slothful,  and 
most  detestably  do  I  hate  that  kind  of  man.  It 
behoves  him  to  be  vigilant  who  wishes  to  do  his 
duty  in  good  time. 

THE  SEA. 

The  sea  is  assuredly  common  to  all. 

WHEN  A  WOMAN'S  GOOD  DISPOSITIONS  ABE  DIS- 
COVERED. 

When  is  it  best  di  seemed  a  woman  has  good 
dispositions  ?  When  she,  who  has  the  power  of 
doing  ill,  refrains  from  doing  it. 


438  PLAUTUS. 

THE  BUSY-BODY. 

For  the  busy-body  is  ever  ill-natured. 

PKIDE. 

High  airs  befit  prosperous  fortune. 

PKOSPEKITY. 

According  as  men  thrive,  their  friends  are  true ; 
,  if  their  affairs  go  to  wreck,  their  friends  sink  with 
them.     Fortune  finds  friends.  \ 

EVIL  MANNERS. 

Evil  manners,  like  well-watered  plants,  have 
shot  up  in  abundance. 

EVIL  KNOWN  IS  BEST. 

Keep  what  you've  got:  the  evil  that  we  know  is 
best. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Antiop.  7)  says: — 

"  I  feel  what  I  suffer,  and  that  is  no  small  evil:  for  not  to 
feel  that  you  are  ill  has  some  pleasure:  \ ignorance  of  misfort- 
unes has  some  advantage." 

THE  GOOD  OUGHT  TO   KEEP  SUSPICION  FKOM 
THEMSELVES. 

It  becomes  all  good  men  and  women  to  be  on 
their  guard,  and  keep  even  the  suspicion  of  guilt 
away. 

FRIENDS. 

There  are,  I  know  are  friends;  there  are,  I  think 
so;  there  are,  whose  dispositions  and  minds  lean- 
not  know,  or  whether  to  enrol  them  among  my 
friends  or  foes.  But  you  I  hold  of  all  my  fast 
friends  the  most  steadfast. 


PLAUTUfi.  439 

BUSY-BODIES. 

In  truth  there  is  nothing  more  foolish  or  more 
stupid,  nothing  more  lying,  or  indeed  more  tat- 
tling, more  self-conceited,  or  more  forsworn,  than 
those  men  of  the  city  everlastingly  gossiping 
about,  whom  they  call  husy-bodies.  And  I  too 
should  rank  with  them,  who  have  been  the  swal- 
lower  of  the  false  tales  of  those  who  pretend  that 
they  know  everything,  and  yet  know  nothing. 
They  know,  forsooth,  your  thoughts  present  and 
future.  They  know  what  the  king  whispered  in 
the  ear  of  the  queen:  that  which  neither  is,  nor  is 
likely  to  be,  do  these  fellows  know. 


Love  gives  bitters  enough  to  create  disgust:  love 
shuns  the  bustle  of  the  bar,  drives  off  relations, 
and  drives  himself  away  from  his  own  contempla- 
tion. There  is  no  man  who  would  woo  him  as  his 
friend:  in  a  thousand  ways  is  love  to  be  held  a 
stranger,  to  be  kept  at  a  distance,  and  wholly  ab- 
stained from.  For  he,  who  plunges  into  love  per- 
ishes more  dreadfully  than  if  he  leapt  from  a 
rock.  Love,  get  thou  gone,  then:  I  divorce  thee 
from  me,  and  utterly  repudiate  thee.  Love, 
never  be  thou  friend  of  mine.  Go,  torture  those 
that  are  bound  to  thee.  I  am  determined  hence- 
forth to  apply  my  mind  to  my  advancement  in 
life,  though  in  that  the  toil  be  great.  Good  men 
wish  these  things  for  themselves,  gain,  credit, 
honor,  glory,  and  esteem :  these  are  the  reward  of 
the  upright.  It  is  my  choice,  then,  to  herd  with 
the  upright  rather  than  with  the  deceitful  spreader 
of  lies. 

Shakespeare  has  a  somewhat  similar  passage  in  "Romeo 
and  Juliet "  (act  i.  sc.  1): — 


440  PLAUTUS. 

"  But  all  so  soon  as  the  all-cheering  sun 
Should  in  the  further  East  begin  to  draw 
The  shady  curtains  from  Aurora's  bed, 
Away  from  light  steals  home  my  heavy  son, 
And  private  in  his  chamber  pens  himself; 
Shuts  up  his  windows,  locks  fair  daylight  out, 
And  makes  himself  an  artificial  night.11 

BAD  AND  ENVIOUS   MEN. 

I  know  what  the  manners  of  this  age  arc.  The 
bad  would  fain  corrupt  the  good  and  make  them 
like  themselves:  our  evil  manners  confound,  dis- 
order everything.  The  greedy,  the  envious,  turn 
what  is  sacred  to  profane,  the  public  good  to  pri- 
vate interest. 

PASSIONS. 

If  you  have  vanquished  your  inclination  and 
not  been  vanquished  by  it,  you  have  reason  to 
rejoice. 

THE   TJPKIGHT. 

He  is  upright  who  does  not  repent  that  he  is 
upright;  he  who  seeks  only  self-gratification  is 
not  the  upriri.l;  man,  nor  is  he  really  honest:  the 
man  who  thinks  but  meanly  of  himself,  shows 
that  there  is  a  just  and  honest  nature  in  him. 

WHAT  IS   YOTJKS  IS   MINE. 

For  what  is  yours  is  mine,  and  mine  is  yours. 

BE   NOT  OVEK-GENEKOUS. 

I  warn  you  before  hand,  that  you  have  compas- 
sion on  others  in  such  a  way  that  others  may  not 
have  cause  to  "have  compassion  on  you. 


PLAUTUS.  441 

THE  WISE  MAN. 

A  wise  man,  in  truth,  is  the  maker  of  his  own 
fortune,  and  unless  he  be  a  bungling  workman, 
little  can  befall  him  which  he  would  wish  to 
change. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Incert.  72)  says: — 

"  I  hate  the  wise  man  who  is  not  wise  for  himself."    ~ 

EAT  ONE'S  CAKE  AND  HAVE  IT. 

You  cannot  eat  your  cake  and  have  it  too,  unless 
you  think  your  money  is  immortal.     Too  late  and    : 
unwisely — a  caution  that  should  have  been  used 
before — after  he  has  eaten  up  his  substance,  he 
reckons  the  cost. 

BEST   WISHES. 

Best  wishes !    What  avails  that  phrase,  unless 
Best  services  attend  them. 

NO  ONE  OUGHT  TO  BE  BASHFUL  AT  TABLE. 

At  table  no  one  should  be  bashful. 

WILD   OATS. 

Besides  that,  when  elsewhere  the  harvest  of 
wheat  is  most  abundant,  there  it  comes  up  less 
by  one-fourth  than  what  you  have  sowed. x  There 
methinks  it  were  a  proper  place  for  men  to  sow 
their  wild  oats  where  they  would  not  spring  up.  \ 

LOVE. 

It  is  with  love  as  with  a  stone  whirled  from  a 
balista;  nothing  is  so  swift  or  that  flies  so  di- 
rectly: it  makes  the  manners  of  men  both  foolish 
and  froward.  What  you  would  persuade  him  to, 
he  likes  not,  and  embraces  that  from  which  you 


442  PLAUTU8. 

would  dissuade  him.  Wliat  there  is  lack  of,  that 
will  he  covet;  when  it  is  in  his  power,  he  will  have 
none  of  it.  Whoso  bids  him  to  avoid  a  thing, 
invites  him  to  it;  he  interdicts,  who  recommends 
it.\  It  is  the  height  of  madness  ever  to  take  up  your 
abode  with  love.  \ 

RELATIONS. 

Never  will  he  be  respected  by  others  who  makes 
,  himself  despised  by  his  own  relatives. 

THE  POOR. 

'Tis  worthy  of  the  gods  to  have  respect 
Unto  the  poor. 

ABSEXT   FRIEXD. 

You  should  not  speak  ill  of  an  absent  friend. 

THE   BELL. 

The  bell  doth  never  clink  of  itself;  unless  it  is 
handled  and  moved,  it  is  dumb. 

LEXDERS. 

What  you  lend  is  lost;  when  you  ask  for  it  back, 

you  may  find  a  friend  made  an  enemy  by  your  kind- 

!  ness.     If  you  begin  to  press  him  further,  you  have 

the  choice  of  two  things — either  to  lose  your  loan 

or  lose  your  friend. 

Axionicus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  TO,  M.)says:— 
"  When  a  good  man  lends  money  to  the  wicked,  he  receives 
grief  for  interest." 

COAT  NEARER  THAN  CLOAK. 

My  coat, 
Dear  sir,  is  nearer  to  me  than  my  cloak. 


FLAUTUS.  443 

This  is  the  common  proverb: — 

"  Charity  begins  at  home." 
And  in  the  Greek  proverb  (Athen.  ix.  330): — 

"  The  knee  is  nearer  than  the  calf  of  the  leg." 

Shakespeare  ("  Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona,"  act  ii.  sc.  6) 
says: — 

'•  I  to  myself  am  dearer  than  a  friend." 

MOTE   IX   OUR   OWX   EYE. 

Because  those,  who  twit  others  with  their  faults, 
should  look  at  home. 

THE   HEART. 

Tour  tongues  and  talk  are  steeped  in  honey  and  ' 
milk;  your  hearts  are  steeped  in  gall  and  sour  vin- 
egar.    You  give  us  sugared  words. 

THE    VICISSITUDES   OF    LIFE. 

Man's  fortune  is  usually  changed  at  once;  life  is 
changeable. 

WOMAN. 

Whenever  a  woman  once  begins  a  fraud,  unless 
see  perfects  it,  she  will  find  pain  and  grief  and 
misery.  If  she  begins  to  do  what  is  right,  how 
soon  will  she  be  weary.  How  .few  are  tired  with 
acting  wrong;  how  very  few  carry  it  out,  if  they 
have  commenced  to  do  anything  aright.  A  wo- 
man finds  it  a  much  easier  task  to  do  an  evil  than 
a  virtuous  deed. 

SEEIXG   IS   BELIEVIXG. 

One  eye-witness  weighs  more  than  ten  hear-says.  ' 
Those  who  hear,  speak  of  what  they  have  heard; 
those  who  see,  know  beyond  mistake. 


444  PL  A  UTUS. 

VALOR. 

The  valiant  profit  more  their  country  than  the 
finest,  cleverest  speakers.  Valor  once  known 
will  soon  find  eloquence  to  trumpet  forth  her 
praise. 

ELOQUENCE  WITHOUT  VALOR. 

Without  valor  an  eloquent  citizen  is  like  a  hired 
mourner,  who  praises  other  people  for  that  which 
she  cannot  do  herself. 

ENVY. 

For  to  envy  because  it  goes  well  with  another 
and  goes  badly  with  yourself,  is  misery,  v  Those 
who  envy,  pine  in  poverty;  they  who  are  envied, 
abound  in  wealth,  v 

TO   KICK   AGAINST  THE   PRICKS. 

If  you  thump  a  goad  with  your  fist,  your  hands 
are  hurt  the  most.  To  vent  your  rage  against  her 
who  does  not  care  a  straw  is  folly. 

THE   WEAKEST  GOES  TO   THE  WALL. 

.     Why,  the  weakest  always  goes  to  the  wall. 

THE   MOUSE. 

Consider  the  little  mouse,  how  wise  a  creature  it 
,  is,  which  never  entrusts  its  life  to  one  hole  only;  for 
.   when  it  finds  one  entrance  blocked  up,  it  has  some 
other  outlet. 

NO   GOOD  UNMIXED. 

Tell  me,  was  ever  good  without  some  little  ill? 
or  where  you  must  not  endure  labor  when  you 
wish  to  enjoy  it  ? 


PLA  UTU3.  445 

OLD  AGE   IS   SECOND   CHILDHOOD. 

When  a  man  reaches  the  last  stage  of  life, — 
"  Sans  sense,  sans  taste,  sans  eyes,  sans  every- 
thing,"— they  say  that  he  has  grown  a  child  again. 

EVERYTHING   AWRY. 

Never,  I  verily  believe,  was  man  so  miserable  as 
myself,  nor  one  who  had  more  everlasting  crosses. 
Is  it  not  the  fact,  that  whatever  thing  I  have  com- 
menced falls  not  out  as  I  desire  ?  <>  Some  evil  _ 
fortune  comes  across  me  still,  destroying  my  best 
laid  plans.  \ 

TO  BEAT  ABOUT  THE  BUSH. 

It  is  a  tiresome  way  of  speaking,  when  you 
should  dispatch  the  business,  to  beat  about  the 
bush. 

A   DEFORMED   MAN. 

Just  this:  bald-pated,  bandy-legged,  pot-bellied, 
Wide-mouth' d,  short,  blear-eyed,  lanthorn-jaw'd, 
splay-footed. 

BAD   NEIGHBORS. 

A  bad  neighbor  brings  bad  fortune  with  him.  - 

LEARN  EXPERIENCE  FROM  OTHERS. 

He  gets  wisdom  in  a  fortunate  way,  who  gets 
wisdom  at  another's  expense. 

This  is  the  Scotch  proverb:— 

"  Better  learn  frae  your  neebor's  scathe  than  frae  your  ain." 

This  passage  is  from  the  interpolated  scene  in  the  "  Merca- 
tor,"  supposed  to  have  been  written  by  Hermolaiis  Barbaras. 

LABOR  IN  YOUTH  FOR  ENJOYMENT  IN  OLD  AGE. 

When  thou  art  young,  then,  when  thy  blood 
flows  quickly,  is  the  time  to  lay  up  wealth:  at 


446  PLINY  THE  ELDER. 

length  -when  thou  art  old,  enjoy  thyself    whilst 
thou  may;  that  thou  livest  is  then  sufficient  gain. 

OPPOSITE   PATHS. 

If  you  would  hasten  in  this  direction,  as  you  are 
hastening  in  that,  you  would  be  wiser;  this  way 
the  wind  is  prosperous,  only  tack  about.  Here  is 
a  fair  western  breeze,  and  there  the  south  heavy 
with  rain.  This  spreads  a  peaceful  calm,  the 
other  stirs  up  all  the  waves.  Make  towards  the 
land,  Charinus!  Don't  you  see  right  opposite? 
Black  clouds  and  showers  are  coming  on.  Look 
now  to  the  left,  how  full  the  heaven  is  of  bright- 
ness. Don't  you  see  right  opposite? 

NO  TRICKS  OX  TKAVELLEBS. 

No,  no;  no  tricks  on  travellers. 

MEN  OF  KANK. 

Whene'er  men  of  rank  are  ill-disposed,  their  evil 
disposition  stains  that  rank. 


PLINY  THE  ELDER. 

BORN  A.D.   23— DIED  A.D.   79. 

CAIUS  PLINIUS  SECUNDUS  was  born  at  Comum, 
or,  as  others  think,  at  Verona,  A.D.  23.  After 
being  educated  at  Rome,  he  went  to  Germany,  A.D. 
46,  where  he  served  under  L.  Pomponius  Secun- 
dus,  being  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  troop 
of  cavalry.  Towards  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Nero 
he  was  procurator  in  Spain,  where  he  was  A.D. 


PLINY  THE  ELDER.  447 

71,  when  his  brother-in-law  died,  leaving  his  son, 
the  younger  Pliny,  to  his  guardianship.  He  re- 
turned to  Rome  in  the  reign  of  Vespasian,  A.D.  72, 
when  he  adopted  his  nephew.  He  became  the 
friend  of  the  emperor,  and  was  appointed  admiral 
of  the  fleet  The  circumstances  of  his  death  are 
graphically  described  in  a  letter  of  the  younger 
Pliny  to  Tacitus  (Ep.  vi.  16).  He  was  overwhelmed 
and  suffocated  by  the  sulphureous  exhalations 
from  the  eruption  of  Vesuvius,  A.D.  79,  whither 
he  had  gone  to  examine  the  extraordinary  phe- 
nomenon. 

TO  ASSIST  MAN  IS  TO  BE  A  GOD. 

For  man  to  assist  man,  is  to  be  a  god ;  this  is  the 
path  to  eternal  glory. 

WHAT  GOD  CANNOT  DO  ACCORDING  TO    THE    IDEA 
OF  THE   ANCIKNTS. 

One  of  the  chief  comforts  to  man  for  the  imper- 
fection of  his  nature  is,  that  God  cannot  do  all 
things.  For  He  cannot  give  death  to  Himself, 
even  if  He  wished,  the  best  thing  He  has  bestowed 
upon  man  amidst  the  many  calamities  of  life;  nor 
yet  can  He  give  immortality  to  man,  or  recall  them 
to  life ;  nor  bring  it  about  that  he  who  has  lived, 
should  not  have  lived,  or  he  who  has  borne  honors, 
should  not  have  borne  them;  nor  has  He  any 
power  over  the  past  except  that  of  oblivion. 

GOOD  FOB  MAN  THAT  THERE  IS  A  BELIEF  IN 
GOD. 

It  is  advantageous  that  the  gods  should  be  be- 
lieved to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  man,  and  the  pun- 
ishment for  evil  deeds,  though  sometimes  late,  is 
never  fruitless. 


448  PLINY  THE  ELDER. 

MAN  RETURNS  TO  THE  EARTH. 

The  earth  receives  us  a^  our  birth,  nourishes 
and  always  continues  to  support  us  during  our 
life,  embracing  us  at  last  in  her  bosom. 

So  Genesis  (iii.  19):— 

"  In  the  sweat  of  thy  faee  shalt  thou  eat  thy  bread,  till  thou 
return  unto  the  ground." 

NATURE  A  PARENT  OR  STEPMOTHER  TO  MAN. 

So  that  it  is  not  possible  to  determine  whether 
(Nature)  is  a  kind  parent  or  harsh  stepmother  to 
man. 

MAN  PRONE  TO  TEARS. 

No  other  of  so  many  animals  is  more  prone  to 
tears. 

A  Greek  proverb  quoted  by  Eustathius  (II.  i.  319)  says:— 
"  The  good  are  prone  to  tears." 

Shakespeare  ("  Much   Ado    about    Nothing,"  act  i.  sc.  1) 
says:— 
"  Leonato.    Did  he  break  out  into  tears? 

Messenger.    In  great  measure. 

Leonato.  A  kind  overflow  of  kindness:  there  are  no  faces 
truer  than  those  that  are  so  washed." 

MAN    IS    THE    ONLY    ANIMAL     THAT  FIGHTS  WITH 
HIS    LIKE. 

Other  animals  live  affectionately  with  their  like ; 
we  see  them  crowd  together  and  stand  against 
those  that  are  dissimilar;  fierce  lions  do  not  fight 
with  each  other;  serpents  do  not  attack  serpents, 
nor  do  the  wild  monsters  of  the  deep  rage  against 
their  like.  But,  by  Hercules,  very  many  calami- 
ties arise  to  man  from  his  fellow-man. 

THE   MIGHTY    POWER  OF  NATURE. 

The  power  and  majesty  of  the  nature  of  things 


PLINY  THE  ELDER.  449 

fail  to  receive  credit  at  all  times,  if  one  merely 
Jooks  at  its  parts  and  do  not  embrace  the  vast 
whole  in  our  conceptions. 

NO  ONE  IS  WISE  AT  ALL  TIMES. 

No  one  is  wise  at  all  times. 

BLESSINGS  OF  LIFE  NOT  EQUAL  TO  ITS  ILLS. 

The  blessings  of  life  are  not  equal  to  its  ills, 
though  the  number  of  the  two  may  be  equal;  nor 
can  any  pleasure  compensate  for  the  least  pain. 

But  Menander  (884)  says: — 

"  In  everything  you  will  find  annoyances,  but  you  ought  to 
consider  whether  the  advantages  do  not  predominate." 

NOTHING   BETTER  THAN   A   SHORT   LIFE. 

Nature  has  given  to  man  nothing  of  more  value 
than  shortness  of  life. 

AN  OLD  HEAD  ON  YOUNG  SHOULDERS. 

That  an  old  head  on  young  shoulders  was  the 
sign  of  premature  death. 

MAN  IS  NOT  IMMORTAL. 

His  last  day  places  man  in  the  same  state  as  he 
was  before  he  was  born:  nor  after  death  has  the 
body  or  soul  any  more  feeling  than  they  had  be- 
fore birth. 

THE    BRAIN. 

Men  have  the  brains  as  a  kind  of  citadel  of  the 
senses :  here  is  what  guides  the  thinking  principle. 

MAN   DESIROUS    OF   NOVELTY. 

Man  is  by  nature  fond  of  novelty. 
29 


450  FLINT  THE  YOUNGER. 

A  MAN'S  OWN. 

His  own  pleases  each,  and  wherever  we  go  the 
same  story  is  told. 

CHANCE  IS  A  SECOND  MASTEB. 

Chance  is  a  second  master. 

A  MASTEB' s  EYE. 

Our  ancestors  used  to  say  that  the  eye  of  the 
master  was  the  best  manure  for  the  field. 

WISDOM  OVERSHADOWED  BY  WINE. 

It  has  passed  into  a  proverb,  that  wisdom  is 
overshadowed  by  wine. 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGER. 

BOBN  A.D.   61. 

C.  PLINIUS  C^ECILIUS  SECUNDTJS  was  the  son  of 
C.  Csecilius  and  Plinia,  the  sister  of  C.  Plinius,  the 
author  of  the  "  Natural  History."  He  wr s  born 
at  Comum  on  Lake  Larius,  and  was  educated  at 
Rome  under  the  care  of  his  uncle,  who  adopted 
him  after  the  death  of  his  father.  He  filled  many 
offices  in  succession,  was  praetor  A.D.  93,  and 
consul  A.D.  100.  During  the  reign  of  Trajan  he 
was  proconsul  of  Asia,  and  it  was  then  that  he 
consulted  the  emperor  respecting  the  punishment 
of  the  Christians.  It  is  found  in  the  tenth  book 
(Ep.  97),  with  the  emperor's  answer  (Ep.  98). 
Nothing  is  known  as  to  the  time  of  his  death. 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGER.  451 

LITERARY    STUDIES. 

Are  you  enjoying  the  pleasures  of  literary  study 
in  that  calm  and  rich  retreat  of  yours?  That 
should  be  the  employment  of  your  idle  as  well 
as  serious  moments;  that  should  be  at  once  your 
business  and  amusement;  on  that  should  be  be- 
stowed your  waking  as  well  as  sleeping  thoughts. 
Create  and  bring  forth  something  which  shall  be 
really  and  forever  your  own;  all  your  other  posses- 
sions will  pass  from  you  to  some  other  heir;  this 
alone,  if  once  yours,  will  remain  yours  forever. 

Thomas  Hood  says: — 

"Experience  enables  me  to  depone  to  the  comfort  and 
blessing  that  literature  can  prove  in  seasons  of  sickness  and 
sorrow;— how  powerfully  intellectual  pursuits  can  help  in 
keeping  the  head  from  crazing  and  the  heart  from  breaking." 

FEAR  OF  STRONGER  EFFECT  THAN  LOVE. 

He  is  feared  by  many,  a  feeling  which  is  gen- 
erally stronger  than  love. 

POPULARITY  OF   THE  BAD. 

The  popularity  of  the  bad  is  as  little  to  be  de- 
pended on  as  he  is  himself. 

REWARD  OF  VIRTUE. 

Besides,  I  am  convinced  how  much  more  noble 
it  is  to  place  the  reward  of  good  conduct  in  the 
silent  approbation  of  one's  own  breast,  than  in 
the  applause  of  the  world.  \Fame  ought  to  be  the 
consequence,  not  the  motive  of  our  actions;  and 
though  it  should  not  attend  the  worthy  deed,  yet 
it  is  by  no  means  the  less  meritorious  for  not 
having  received  the  applause  it  deserves. 
Gay  (Epist.  iv.)  says:— 

"  Why  to  true  merit  should  they  have  regard? 
!  They  know  that  virtue  is  its  own  reward." 


452  PLINY  THE  YOUNGER. 

CEXSOBIOUSNESS. 

For  the  disposition  of  men  is  that,  if  they  are 
not  able  to  obliterate  an  action,  they  find  fault 
with  its  vanity.  Thus,  whether  you  perform 
what  might  be  passed  over  without  notice,  or  draw 
attention  to  your  own  praiseworthy  deeds,  in 
either  way  you  incur  blame. 

Addisonsays:— 

"  Censure,  says  an  ingenious  author,  is  the  tax  a  man  pays 
to  the  public  for  being  eminent.  It  is  a  folly  for  an  eminent 
man  to  think  of  escaping  it  and  a  weakness  to  be  affected  by 
it.  All  the  illustrious  persons  of  antiquity,  and,  indeed,  of 
every  age  of  the  world,  have  passe  1  through  this  fiery  perse- 
cution. There  is  no  defence  against  reproach  but  obscurity; 
it  is  a  kind  of  concomitant  to  greatness,  as  satires  and  invec- 
tives were  an  essential  part  of  a  Roman  triumph." 

SOLITUDE. 

I  converse  only  witli  myself  and  books.  Honest 
and  guileless  life!  sweet  and  honorable  repose, 
more  perhaps  to  be  desired  than  any  kind  of  em- 
ployment.'. Thou  sea  and  shore,  solemn  and  soli- 
tary scene  for  contemplation,  with  how  many 
noble  thoughts  hast  thou  inspired  me  1  \ 
Milton  ("Paradise  Lost,"  ix.  1.  230) says: — 

"  Solitude  sometimes  is  best  society, 
And  short  retirement  urges  sweet  return." 
Byron  ("  Childe  Harold,"  cant.  iv.  st.  178)  says:— 
"  There  is  a  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods, 
There  is  a  rapture  on  the  lonely  shore, 
There  is  society  where  none  intrudes, 
By  the  deep  sea.  and  music  in  its  roar." 
Sir  P.  Sidney  ("Arcadia,"  b.  l)says:— 
"  They  are  never  alone  that  are  accompanied  with  noble 
thoughts." 

DOUBT. 

Though  you  may  think  it  more  safe  to  pursue 
this  maxim,  to  which  every  prudent  man  attends, 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGER.  453 

never    do  anything  concerning    the    wisdom    of 
which  you  are  in  doubt. 

CONSCIENCE. 

Such  is  his  greatness  of  mind  that  he  placed  no 
part  of  his  happiness  in  vain-glory,  but  referred 
everything  to  the  secret  approbation  of  his  con- 
science, seeking  the  reward  of  his  good  conduct 
not  from  popular  applause,  but  from  the  simple 
feeling  of  having  acted  virtuously. 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  566,  M.)  says:— 
"  For  to  be  conscious  of  no  crime  during  one's  life  is  a  great 
pleasure." 
Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VIII.,"  act  iii.  sc.  2)  says:— 

"  I  feel  within  me 

A  peace  above  all  earthly  dignities, 
A  still  and  quiet  conscience." 

A   DEAR   BARGAIN. 

For  a  dear  bargain  is  always  annoying,  particu- 
larly on  this  account,  that  it  is  a  reflection  on  the 
judgment  of  the  buyer. 

DEATH. 

He  died  full  of  years  and  of  honors,  equally  il- 
lustrious by  those  he  refused  as  by  those  he  ac- 
cepted. 

THE   LIVING   VOICE. 

Besides,  as  is  usually  the  case,  we  are  much 
more  affected  by  the  words  which  we  hear,  for 
though  what  you  read  in  books  may  be  more 
pointed,  yet  there  is  something  in  the  voice,  the 
look,  the  carriage,  and  even  the  gesture  of  the 
speaker,  that  makes  a  deeper  impression  upon  the 
mind. 


454  PLINY  THE  YOUNGER. 

INVITATIONS  TO   DINNER. 

I  receive  all  my  guests  with  equal  honor.    For 
they  are  invited  to  supper,  and  not  to  be  labelled 
according  to  rank.     I  make  every  man  on  a  level 
'    with  myself  whom  I  admit  to  my  table. 

PUBLIC  STATUES  MEMOBIALS  OF  GLORY. 

For  if  our  grief  is  alleviated  by  gazing  on  the 
pictures  of  departed  friends  in  6ur  houses,  how 
much  more  pleasure  is  there  in  looking  on  those 
public  representations  of  them,  which  are  memo- 
rials not  only  of  their  air  and  countenance,  but  of 
the  honor  and  esteem  with  which  they  were  re- 
garded by  their  fellow-citizens. 

FRAILTY   OF   HUMAN   MONUMENTS. 

Recollect  how  fleeting  are  all  human  things, 
and  that  there  is  nothing  so  likely  to  hand  down 
your  name  as  a  poem :  all  other  monuments  are 
frail  and  fading,  passing  away  as  quickly  as  the 
men  whose  memory  they  pretend  to  perpetuate. 

THE  RIGHT  OF  A  QUESTION  CANNOT  BE  DISCERNED 
IN  A  CROWDED   MEETING. 

The  real  gist  of  the  question  can  only  be  clearly 
seen  when  you  are  separated  from  the  clamors  of 
a  confused  meeting. 

VOTES. 

The  majority  were  swayed  the  other  way;  for 
votes  go  by  numbers  and  not  weight,  nor  can  it 
be  otherwise  in  such  public  assemblies  where  noth- 
ing is  more  unequal  than  that  equality  which  pre- 
vails in  them;  for,  though  every  individual  has 
the  same  right  of  suffrage,  every  individual  has 
not  the  same  strength  of  judgment  to  direct  it. 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGER.  455 

AN  OBJECT   IN   POSSESSION. 

An  object  in  possession  seldom  retains  the  same 
charms  which  it  had  when  it  was  longed  for. 

A  STORY. 

Give  me  a  penny,  and  I  will  tell  you  a  story 
worth  gold. 

LIFE   OF   MAN. 

The  life  of  man  contains  mysterious  depths  and 
skeleton  closets. 

Dickens  says: — 

"  There  are  chords  in  the  human  heart — strange  varying 
strings— which  are  only  struck  by  accident;  which  will  re- 
main mute  and  senseless  to  appeals  the  most  passionate  and 
earnest,  and  respond  at  last  to  the  slightest  casual  touch.  In 
the  most  insensible  or  childish  minds,  there  is  some  train  of 
reflection,  which  art  can  seldom  lead,  or  skill  assist,  but  which 
will  reveal  itself,  as  great  truths  have  done,  by  chance,  and 
when  the  discoverer  has  the  plainest  and  simplest  end  in  vie w. " 

FAVOR  REFUSED  CANCELS  ALL  YOU  HAVE  CON- 
FERRED. 

For  however  often  a  man  may  receive  an  obli- 
gation from  you,  if  you  refuse  a  request,  all  former 
favors  are  effaced  by  this  one  denial. 

SE.NSE  OF   INJURY. 

A  strong  sense  of  injury  often  gives  point  to  the 
expression  of  our  feelings. 

THE  BALLOT. 

The  elections  have  been  lately  carried  on  with 
excessive  corruption,  they  have  had  recourse  to 
the  ballot,  no  doubt  in  the  meanwhile  a  remedy, 
for  it  was  new  and  suddenly  adopted.  Still  I  am 
afraid  lest  in  process  of  time  it  should  introduce 


456  PLINY  THE  YOUNGER. 

new  inconveniences;  for  there  is  danger  lest 
shameless  conduct  should  creep  in  under  the  cover 
of  secret  voting.  For  how  few  are  there  who  pre- 
serve the  same  delicacy  of  conduct  in  secret  as 
when  exposed  to  the  view  of  the  world?  The 
truth  is,  that  many  more  men  pay  regard  to  the 
opinion  of  the  world  than  to  conscience. 

MODESTY. 

Modesty  weakens  the  exertions  of  genius,  while 
effrontery  gives  strength  to  the  wrong-headed. 

Johnson  says: — 

"  Modesty  id  a  man  is  never  to  be  allowed  as  a  good  quality, 
but  a  weakness,  if  it  suppresses  his  virtue,  and  hides  it  from 
the  world  when  he  has  at  the  same  time  a  mind  to  exert  him- 
self." 

GENIUS   THE    GIFT   OF   HEAVEN. 

But  it  is  no  doubt  true  that  honors  bestowed  by 
man  may  be  conferred  on  me  and  many  others, 
whereas  genius,  which  is  the  gift  alone  of  heaven, 
is  both  difficult  to  attain  and  even  too  much  to 
hope  for. 

Dryden  ("  To  Congreve  on  the  Double  Dealer  ")  says: — 

"  Time,  Place,  and  Action  may  with  pains  be  wrought, 

But  genius  must  be  born;  and  never  can  be  taught." 

MEN  FOND    OF   PRAISE   EVEN   FBOM    INFERIORS. 

Those  who  are  excited  by  a  desire  of  fame,  are 
fond  of  praise  and  flattery,  though  it  comes  from 
their  inferiors. 

A  WIDESPREAD  REPUTATION. 

For  I  know  not  how  it  is  but  men  are  generally 
more  pleased  with  a  widespread  than  a  great  rep- 
utation. 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGER.  457 

DISEASES  IN  THE   STATE. 

It  is  in  the  body  politic,  as  in  the  natural,  those 
disorders  are  most  dangerous  that  flow  from  the 
head. 

TO  NAME  THE  MAN. 

After  I  have  named  the  man,  I  need  say  no 


TIME. 

If  you  compute  the  time  in  which  those  revolu- 
tions have  happened,  it  is  but  a  few  years;  if  you 
number  the  incidents,  it  seems  an  age;  and  it  is  a 
lesson  that  will  teach  us  to  check  both  our  despair 
and  our  presumption,  when  we  observe  such  a 
variety  of  events  rapidly  revolving  in  so  narrow  a 
circle. 

Shakespeare  ("As  You  Like  It,"  act  iii.  sc.  2)  says: — 

"Time  travels  in  divers  paces  with  divers  persons.  He 
ambles  with  a  priest  that  lacks  Latin,  and  a  rich  man  that 
hath  not  the  gout:  for  the  one  sleeps  easily  because  he  can- 
not study;  and  the  other  lives  rnez'rily,  because  he  feels  no 
pain :  the  one  lacking  the  burden  of  lean  and  wasteful  learn- 
ing; the  other  knowing  no  burden  of  heavy  tedious  penury. 
These  Time  ambles  withal.  He  trots  hard  with  a  young 
maid,  between  the  contract  of  her  marriage  and  the  day  it  is 
solemnized;  if  the  interim  be  but  a  se'nnight.  Time's  pace 
is  so  hard  that  it  seems  the  length  of  seven  years.  He  gallops 
with  a  thief  to  the  gallows:  for  though  he  goes  as  softly  as 
foot  can  fall,  he  thinks  himself  too  soon  there  He  stays  still 
with  lawyers  in  the  vacation:  for  they  sleep  between  term 
and  term,  and  th^n  they  perceive  not  how  Time  moves." 

Euripides  (Fr.  Autiop.  41)  says: — 

"  Alas,  alas,  how  many  are  the  varieties  and  forms  of  the 
miseries  of  mankind;  one  could  not  reach  the  end  of  them/' 

DEATH. 

Death  is  ever,  in  my  opinion,  bitter  and  prema- 
ture to  those  who  are  engaged  on  some  immortal 


458  PLINY  THE  YOUNGER. 

work.  For  those  who  live  from  clay  to  day  im- 
mersed in  pleasure,  finish  with  each  day  the  whole 
purpose  of  their  existence ;  while  those  *who  look 
forward  to  posterity,  and  endeavor  by  their  exer- 
tions to  hand  down  their  name  to  future  gener- 
ations, to  such  death  is  always  premature,  as  it 
ever  carries  them  off  from  the  midst  of  some  un- 
finished design. 

Epictetus  (iii.  10)  speaks  in  a  different  strain: — 
"  At  what  employment  would  you  have  death  find  you? 
For  my  part,  I  would  have  it  in  some  humane,  beneficent, 
public-spirited,  noble  action.  But  if  I  cannot  be  found  doing 
any  such  great  things,  yet  at  least  I  would  be  doing  what  I 
cannot 'be  restrained  from,  what  is  given  me  to  do — cor- 
recting myself,  improving  that  faculty  which  makes  use  of 
the  phenomena  of  existence  to  produce  tranquillity,  and 
render  to  the  several  relations  of  hfe  then-  due;  and  if  I  am 
so  fortunate,  advancing  still  further  in  the  security  of  judging 
right.  If  death  overtakes  me  in  such  a  situation,  it  is  enough 
for  me  if  I  can  stretch  out  niy  hands  to  God  and  say,  '  The 
opportunities  I  have  received  from  Thee  of  comprehending 
and  obeying  Thy  administration  I  have  not  neglected.  As 
far  as  in  me  lay,  I  have  not  dishonored  Thee.  See  how  I 
have  used  my  perceptions ;  how  my  convictions.  Have  I  at 
any  time  found  fault  with  thee?  Have  I  been  discontented 
with  Thy  dispensations,  or  wished  them  otherwise?  Have  I 
transgressed  the  relations  of  life?  I  thank  Thee  that  thou 
hast  brought  me  into  being.  I  am  satisfied  with  the  time  I 
have  enjoyed  the  things  thou  hast  given  me.  Receive  them 
back  again,  and  distribute  them  as  thou  wilt.  For  they  were 
all  Thine  and  thou  gavest  them  me.'  " 


THE  LIVING  VOICE. 

For  the  sense  of  the  speaker  is  determined  by 
the  countenance,  the  gesture,  and  even  the  tone 
of  the  voice;  whereas  a  letter,  being  destitute  of 
these  advantages,  is  more  liable  to  the  malignant 
construction  of  those  who  are  inclined  to  misinter- 
pret its  meaning. 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGER.  459 

Shakespeare  ("  Coriolanus,"  act  iii.  sc.  2)  says: — 

"  For  in  such  business 

Action  is  eloquence,  and  the  eyes  of  the  ignorant 
More  learned  than  their  ears." 

HISTORY. 

It  appears  to  me  a  noble  employment  to  rescue 
from  oblivion  those  who  deserve  to  be  eternally 
remembered,  and  by  extending  the  reputation  of 
others,  to  advance  at  the  same  time  our  own. 

LOVE   OF   FAME. 

Nothing,  I  allow,  excites  me  so  much  as  the  de- 
sire of  having  my  name  handed  down  to  posterity; 
a  passion  highly  worthy  of  the  human  breast, 
especially  of  his  who,  not  being  conscious  of  any 
crime,  fears  not  to  be  known  to  future  generations. 

So  Milton  ("  Lycidas,"  1.  70):— 

"  Fame  is  the  spur  that  the  clear  spirit  doth  raise." 

OKATOKY   AND   POETRY. 

Oratory  and  poetry  are  of  little  value,  unless 
they  reach  the  highest  perfection ;  but  history,  in 
whatever  way  it  may  be  executed,  is  a  source  of 
pleasure. 

t  LIBERALITY. 

Generosity,  when  once  she  is  set  forward, 
knows  not  how  to  stop,  and  the  more  familiar  we 
are  with  the  lovely  form,  the  more  enamored  we 
become  of  her  charms. 

Shakespeare  ("Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  act  v.  sc.  2) 
says:— 

"  For  his  bounty. 

There  is  no  winter  in't;  an  autumn  'twas, 
That  grew  the  more  by  reaping." 


460  PLINY  THE  YOUNGER. 

GRIEF. 

For  a  fresh  wound  shrinks  from  the  hand  of  the 
surgeon,  then  gradually  submits  to  and  even  calls 
for  it;  so  a  mind  under  the  first  impression  of  a 
misfortune  shuns  and  rejects  all  comfort,  but  at 
length,  if  touched  with  tenderness,  calmly  and 
willingly  resigns  itself. 

ELOQUENCE  AND  LOQUACITY. 

Eloquence  is  indeed  the  talent  of  very  few,  but 
that   faculty  which    Candidus  calls  loquacity  is 
common   to  numbers,  and  generally  attends  im- 
pudence. 
Samuel  Bishop  says: — 

"  On  Folly's  lips  eternal  tattlings  dwell: 
Wisdom  speaks  little,  but  that  little  well." 

ACTION  RIGHT  OB  WRONG  ACCORDING  TO   SUCCESS. 

It  is  the  usual  custom  of  the  world  (though  a 
very  unequitable  rule  of  estimation)  to  pronounce 
an  action  to  be  either  right  or  wrong,  as  it  is  at- 
tended with  good  or  ill  success;  and  accordingly 
you  shall  hear  the  very  same  conduct  attributed 
to  zeal  or  folly,  to  liberty  or  licentiousness,  as  the 
event  happens  to  prove. 

OPPORTUNITY  AND  FRIENDS  REQUIRED  FOR  RISING 
IN    THE   WORLD. 

For  no  man  possesses  so  commanding  a  genius 
as  to  be  able  at  once  to  merge  from  obscurity  un- 
less some  subject  present  itself  and  an  oppor- 
tunity when  he  can  display  his  talents,  with  a 
friend  to  promote  his  advancement. 

HUMAN  ACTIONS. 

How  much  does  the  reputation  of  human  actions 
depend  upon  the  position  of  those  who  perform 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGER.  461 

them !  For  the  very  same  acts,  according  as  they 
proceed  from  a  person  of  high  or  low  rank,  are 
either  much  extolled  or  left  unnoticed. 

PROSPERITY. 

Time  passes  more  speedily  in  proportion  as  it  is 
happy. 

THE   OPINION  OF  THE  MULTITUDE. 

The  reason,  I  believe,  is  that  there  is  a  large    ; 
collective  wisdom  in  a  multitude;  though  individ- 
ually their  judgment    may  he  of  little    weight, 
united  it  becomes  of  great  importance. 

PUBLIC    INTEREST. 

But  the  interest  of  the  public  ought  always  to 
supersede  every  private  consideration,  as  what  is 
eternal  is  to  be  preferred  to  what  is  mortal;  and  a 
man  of  true  generosity  will  study  in  what  man- 
ner to  render  his  benefaction  most  advantageous, 
rather  than  how  he  may  bestow  it  with  least  ex- 
pense. 

MODESTY. 

How  many  of  the  learned  are  concealed  from 
view  by  modesty,  or  an  unwillingness  to  have 
their  name  brought  before  the  public.  Yet,  when 
we  are  going  to  speak  or  recite  our  works  in 
crowded  assemblies,  it  is  the  judgment  only  of 
those  who  possess  ostentatious  talents  of  whom 
we  stand  in  awe :  whereas  we  ought  rather  to  re- 
vere the  decisions  of  those  who  form  their  opin- 
ions of  works  of  genius  in  their  closets,  undis- 
turbed by  the  noise  of  public  assemblies. 

COUNTKY   GENTLEMEN. 

In    short,   his  conversation    has  increased  rny 


462  PLINY  THE  YOUNGER. 

solicitude  concerning  my  works,  and  taught  me  to 
revere  the  judgment  of  these  studious  country 
gentlemen,  as  much  as  that  of  more  known  and 
distinguished  literati.  Let  me  persuade  you  to 
consider  them  in  the  same  light;  for,\helieve  me, 
upon  a  careful  observation  you  will  often  find  in 
the  literary  as  well  as  military  world,  most  power- 
ful abilities  concealed  under  a  rustic  garb.  \ 

SICKNESS. 

When  a  man  is  laboring  under  the  pain  of  any 
distemper,  it  is  then  that  he  recollects  there  are 
gods,  and  that  he  himself  is  but  a  man:  no  mortal 
is  then  the  object  of  his  envy,  his  admiration,  or 
his  contempt,  and  having  no  malice  to  gratify,  the 
tales  of  slander  excite  not  his  attention. 


History  ought  to  be  guided  by  truth;  and 
worthy  actions  require  nothing  more. 

EQUITY. 

I  hold  it  particularly  worthy  of  a  man  of  honor 
to  be  governed  by  the  principles  of  strict  equity 
in  his  domestic  as  well  as  public  conduct;  in 
small,  as  in  great  affairs;  in  his  own  concerns, 
as  well  as  in  those  of  others:  and  if  every  devia- 
tion from  rectitude  is  equally  criminal,  every 
approach  to  it  must  be  equally  laudable. 

FOREBODING    OP   EVIL. 

For  there  is  very  little  difference  between  the 
enduring  and  fearing  a  danger,  except  this  much, 
indeed,  that  there  are  some  bounds  to  the  feeling 
but  none  to  the  apprehending  of  it.  For  you  can 
suffer  only  as  much  as  you  have  actually  suffered, 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGER.  463 

but  you  may  apprehend  all  that  may  possibly 
happen. 

A  WILL. 

It  is  a  mistaken  maxim  too  generally  advanced, 
that  a  man's  will  is  a  kind  of  mirror  wherein  one 
may  clearly  discern  his  genuine  character. 

THINGS   NEAR  AT   HAND  OVEBLOOKEt). 

Those  works  of  art  or  nature  which  are  usually 
the  motives  of  our  travels,  are  often  overlooked 
and  neglected  if  they  happen  to  lie  within  our 
reach;  whether  it  be  that  we  are  naturally  less  in- 
quisitive concerning  those  things  which  are  near 
us,  while  our  curiosity  is  excited  by  remote  ob- 
jects; or  because  the  easiness  of  gratifying  a 
desire  is  always  sure  to  damp  it;  or,  perhaps,  that 
we  defer  from  time  to  time  viewing,  whilst  we 
have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  whatever  we  please. 

FORGIVENESS. 

The  highest  of  characters,  in  my  estimation,  is 
his,  who  is  as  ready  to  pardon  the  moral  errors  of 
mankind,  as  if  he  were  every  day  guilty  of  some 
himself;  and  at  the  same  time  as  cautious  of  com- 
mitting a  fault  as  if  he  never  f orgave  one. 

So  Ephesians  iv.  82: — 

"  And  be  ye  kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiving 
one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  you. " 

AFFECTION. 

Ill,  believe  me,  is  power  proved  by -insult;  ill 
can  terror  command  veneration,  and  far  more 
efficacious  is  affection  in  obtaining  one's  purpose 
than  fear.  For  terror  operates  no  longer  than  its 
object  is  present,  but  love  produces  its  effects 


4&4  PLINY  THE  YOUNG  Ell. 

when  the  object  is  at  a  distance,  and  as  absence 
changes  the  former  into  hatred,  it  raises  the  latter 
into  respect. 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,''  1.  533)  says  to  the  same  effect: — 

'•  Who  overcomes 
By  force,  hath  overcome  but  half  his  foes." 

LIBERTY   AND   GOVERNMENT. 

For,  what  is  more  becoming  our  social  nature 
than  well  regulated  government,  or  more  valuable 
than  liberty?  How  ignominious,  then,  must  his 
conduct  be,  who  turns  the  first  into  anarchy  and 
the  last  into  slavery? 

HAPPINESS. 

Mankind  differ  in  their  notions  of  supreme  hap- 
piness; but  in  my  opinion  he  truly  possesses  it 
who  lives  in  the  conscious  anticipation  of  honest 
fame,  and  the  glorious  figure  he  shall  make  in  the 
eyes  of  posterity. 

EQUALITY. 

However,  I  cannot  forbear  adding  a  caution  to 
my  praise  and  recommending  it  to  you,  to  conduct 
yourself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  preserve  the 
/  proper  distinction  of  rank  and  dignity.  V  For  to 
level  and  confound  the  different  orders  of  society 
is  far  from  producing  an  equality  among  mankind ; 
it  is,  in  fact,  the  most  unequal  thing  imaginable.  * 

SUMMER    FRIENDS. 

Far  different  from  those  who  love,  or  rather,  I 
should  more  properly  say,  who  counterfeit  love  to 
none  but  the  living.  Nor  indeed  even  that  any 
longer  than  they  are  the  favorites  of  fortune:  for 
the  unhappy  are  no  more  the  object  of  their  re- 
membrance than  the  dead. 


PLINY  THE  YOUNGEE.  465 

G.  Herbert  ("  The  Answer  "):— 

"Like  summer  friends, 
Flies  of  estates  and  summorehinc.'1' 

DELIB  EE  AT1OIT. 

Experience  having  taught  me  never  to  advise 
with  a  person  concerning  that  which  we  have 
already  determined,  where  he  has  a  right  to  ex- 
pect that  one  shall  be  decided  by  his  judgment. 

A  MEMORIAL   STONE. 

The  erection  of  a  monument  is  useless :  the  re- 
membrance of  us  will  last,  if  we  have  deserved  it 
by  our  lives. 

INQTIISITIVENESS. 

Nothing  raises  the  inquisitive  disposition  of 
mankind  so  much  as  to  defer  its  gratification. 

MEDIOCRITY. 

As  it  is  better  to  excel  in  any  single  art  than  to 
arrive  only  at  mediocrity  in  several,  so  a  moderate 
skill  in  several  is  to  be  preferred  where  one  cannot 
attain  to  perfection  in  any. 

TRUE  BENEFICENCE. 

The  first  and  fundamental  principle  of  genuine 
beneficence  is  to  be  contented  with  one's  own; 
.and  after  that  to  cherish  and  embrace  all  the  most 
indigent  of  every  kind  in  one  comprehensive  circle 
of  general  benevolence. 

AVARICE. 

The  lust  of  avarice  has  so  totally  seized  upon 
mankind,  that  their  wealth  seems  rather  to  pos- 
sess them,  than  they  to  possess  their  wealth. 
30 


466  PLINY  THE  YOUNGER. 

THE  LONGEST  DAY  COMES  TO  AN  END. 

The  longest  day  soon  comes  to  an  end. 

THE   LIFE   OF   A  PRINCE. 

The  life  of  a  prince  is  a  calling  of  other  men's 
lives  to  an  account. 

INNOCENCE. 

I  observe  that  the  gods  themselves  are  propiti- 
ated not  so  much  by  prayers  as  by  innocence  and 
sanctity  of  life;  and  that  those  are  regarded  with 
more  favor  who  bring  into  their  temples  a  pure 
and  chaste  mind,  than  the  man  who  repeats  a  pre- 
pared prayer. 

So  Matthew  xv.  8: — 

"  This  people  draweth  nigh  unto  me  with  their  mouth,  and 
honoureth  me  with  their  lips;  but  their  heart  is  far  from  me." 

VICISSITUDES. 

Such  is  the  changeful  condition  of  mankind, 
that  adversity  arises  from  prosperity,  and  pros- 
perity from  adversity.  God  hides  in  obscurity  the 
causes  of  both,  and  frequently  the  reasons  of  the 
good  and  evil  that  bef  als  man  lies  concealed  under 
'  both. 

Simonides  of  Ceos  (Fr.  29,  S.)  thus  speaks  of  life: — 
"  There  is  no  evil  that  may  not  be  expected  by  men:  in  a 
short  time  God  turns  all  things  upside  down." 
So  1  Corinthians  ii.  7: — 
"  We  speak  the  hidden  wisdom  of  God." 

PBOSPERITY  AND  ADVERSITY. 

Prosperity  tries  the  fortunate,  adversity  the 
great. 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  560,  M.)  says:— 
"  Riches  are  what  test  a  man's  character." 


PBOPEBTIUS.  467 

POWER  OF  DECEIVING. 

No  one  has  been  able  to  deceive  the  whole 
world,  nor  has  the  whole  world  ever  deceived  any 
one. 


PKOPERTIUS. 

BORN  PROBABLY  ABOUT  B.C.  51 — DIED  ABOUT 
B.C.  15. 

SEXTUS  AURELIUS  PROPERTIUS  was  born,  it  is 
supposed,  at  Hispellum  or  Assisium,  but  there  are 
no  satisfactory  materials  for  his  personal  history. 
He  is  believed  to  have  been  deprived  of  his  pater- 
nal property  during  the  civil  wars,  and  then  was 
thrown  upon  his  wits  for  a  livelihood,  becoming 
"  the  man  of  wit  and  pleasure  about  town."  He 
was  patronized  by  Maecenas,  and  this  is  probably 
all  that  can  be  said  with  certainty  respecting  him. 

WHAT  IS  EFFECTIVE  IN  LOVE. 

So  much  do  prayers  and  generous  deeds  avail  in 
love. 

TRUE  LOVE. 

True  love  yields  not  to  high  rank.  -— 

GRIEF  IS   THE  CAUSE  OF   LOVE  ELEGIES. 

I  do  not  write  so  much  from  the  impulse  of  gen- 
ius as  to  soothe  the  cares  of  love,  and  to  bewail 
life's  unabating  woe. 

Petrarch  seems  to  have  had  this  passage  in  view  (Sonn. 
252):— 
"  Assuredly  all  iny  desire  at  that  time  was  to  relieve  my 


468  PROPERTIUS. 

heart  in  some  way,  not  to  acquire  fame.    I  sought  to  weep, 
not  honor  from  my  grief." 

THOU   SEEKEST  WATER  AMIDST  WATER. 

Thou  madly  seekest  water  in  the  midst  of  the 
river. 
This  is  the  Greek  proverb:— 

"  In  the  sea  thou  seekest  water." 

LOVE  ENJOYS  THE  TEAB. 

Love  enjoys  the  falling  tear. 

Thus  Tasso,  in  his  "  Amyntas  "  (i.  2)  says  beautifully:— 
"  The  lamb  feeds  on  the  herbage,  the  wolf  on  the  lamb;  but 
.    sad  love  feeds  on  tears,  nor  is  ever  satisfied." 

CYNTHIA,   MY  FIRST  AND  LAST  LOVE. 

I  can  neither  love  another  nor  depart  from  her: 
Cynthia  first  charmed,  and  last  shall  claim  my 
heart. 

IMPASSIONED  LOVE  NEVER  ENDS. 

Impassioned  love  passes  over  the  shores  even  of 
death. 

TIME     SPENT    WITH    OUR     LOVE    NEVER    APPEARS 
LONG. 

Then  let  us  enjoy  short-lived  pleasures  while  we 
may:  an  age  of  passion  seems  but  as  a  day. 

EVERY  ONE  TALKS  OF  HIS   OWN  TRADE. 

The  sailor  talks  of  the  winds;  the  ploughman  of 
his  bulls ;  the  soldier  counts  his  wounds ;  the  shep- 
v  herd  his  sheep. 

BUSINESS. 

Let  every  man  employ  himself  in  the  business 
with  which  he  is  best  acquainted. 


PUOPERTIU8.  469 

THE   AVEAKEST   ANIMAL   TURNS   ON  ITS  ASSAILANT. 

Not  only  does  the  bull  attack  its  enemy  with  its 
crooked  horns,  but  even  the  sheep  if  injured  butts 
its  assailant. 

WOMAN     EASILY    COUNTERFEITS    WORDS    AND    AC- 
TIONS. 

It  is  easy  for  you  to  counterfeit  words  and  ac- 
tions; every  woman  is  adapted  for  such  work. 
The  quicksands  are  not  more  easily  changed  by 
the  wind,  nor  are  the  leaves  more  readily  whirled 
by  the  winter's  blast,  than  woman  veers  in  her 
wrath,  whether  the  cause  of  her  excitement  be  se- 
rious or  trivial. 

BOLDNESS. 

But  if  strength  fail,  boldness  at  least  will  be  de- 
serving of  praise;  in  great  enterprizes  to  have  even 
attempted  is  enough. 

LOVE. 

Love  blinds  mankind. 

COQUETBY. 

Coquetry  has  always  been  of  advantage  to  the 
beautiful. 

A  QUERULOUS  DISPOSITION. 

Never-ceasing  complaining  has  caused  hatred  to 
many. 

THE   NATURAL  IS  LIKED. 

Every  form  is  approved,  as  nature  has  given  it. 

THE  ABSENT. 

Let  no  one  be  willing  to  speak  ill  of  the  absent. 


470  PEOPEETIUS. 

CONSTANCY. 

My  last  feeling  will  be  like  my  first. 

A  BESETTING   SIN  IN  EVERYTHING   CREATED. 

Nature  has  given  a  besetting  sin  to  everything 
1   created. 

CONSTANCY  IN  LOVE. 

Love  is  benefited  much  by  a  feeling  of  confi- 
dence and  constancy ;  he  who  is  able  to  give  much, 
is  able  also  to  love  many  things. 

FUTURITY. 

But  you,  O  men,  are  anxious  to  know  the  hidden 
hour  of  death,  and  in  what  way  you  shall  die, — 
what  star  is  propitious,  and  what  fatal  to  man. 


Beauty  is  fading,  nor  is  fortune  stable ;  sooner 
or  later  death  comes  to  all. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Hypsip.  6)  says:  — 

"  There  is  no  one  of  mortals  not  subject  to  grief;  he  buries 
his  children  and  begets  others;  he  himself  dies  and  men 
grieve  over  him.  bearing  dust  to  dust:  the  life  of  all  must  be 
reaped  like  the  ears  of  corn:  this  man  lives  and  this  man 
dies.  Why  grieve  about  things  which  take  place  according  to 
the  laws  of  nature?  For  there  is  nothing  to  which  men  must 
submit  by  necessity  that  ought  to  be  regarded  as  grievous." 

Aristophanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  I.  p.  309,  M.)  says:— 

"For  to  fear  death  is  great  folly:  since  it  is  fated  to  all  of 
us  to  die." 

So  Job  xv.  5: — 

"  Seeing  his  days  are  determined,  the  number  of  his  months 
are  with  Thee;  Thou  hast  appointed  his  bounds  that  he  can- 
not pass." 

EVERYTHING  MAGNIFIED  BY  DEATH. 

Time  magnifies  everything  after  death;  a  man's 


PEOPEETIUS.  471 

fame  is  increased  as  it  passes  from  mouth  to 
mouth  after  his  burial. 

THE   POET   IMMORTAL. 

Fame  obtained  from  the  endowments  of  the 
mind  will  never  perish ;  eternal  honor  awaits  the 
noble. 

Shakespeare  ("  Taming  of  the  Shrew,"  act  iv.  sc.  3)  says: — 

"For  'tis  the  mind  that  makes  the  body  rich; 
And  as  the  sun  breaks  through  the  darkest  clouds, 
So  honor  peereth  in  the  meanest  habit." 

KICHES. 

O  fool,  thou  shalt  carry  no  riches  beyond  the 

grave ; 
Thou  shalt  be  ferried  over  naked  in  Charon's 

boat.  J 

DEATH  AT   A   SUITABLE   MOMENT. 

The  day  of  death  is  best  which  comes  seasonable 
at  a  mature  day. 

POETRY  IN   YOUTH. 

I  am  delighted  that  I  cultivated  poetry  in  my 
early  youth,  and  joined  hands  with  the  hands  of 
the  Muses. 

MONEY. 

O  money,  thou  art  the  fruitful  source  of  cares; 
thou  leadest  us  to  a  premature  grave;  thou  afford- 
est  support  to  the  vices  of  men;  the  seeds  of  evil 
spring  up  from  thee. 

ALL  THINGS. 

All  things  are  not  equally  suited  to  all. 


472  PROPERTIUS. 

A   MAX'S   OWN   NATUKE. 

Every  one  follows  the  principles  of  his  own  na- 
ture. 

LET   THIS   DAY   BE   UNCLOUDED. 

Let  this  day  be  without  a  cloud;  the  winds  be 
hushed,  and  the  waves  lay  aside  their  threatening 
appearance. 

THE   SAILOK. 

The  sailor  can  predict  the  weather  of  the  ap- 
proaching night:  the  soldier  has  learned  to  dread 
the  pain  of  wounds. 


All  now  worship  gold  to  the  neglect  of  the  gods ; 

by  gold  good  faith  is  banished;  justice  is  sold  for 

I   gold,  the  law  follows  gold,  and  soon  the  modest 

woman  will  be  without  the  protection  of  the  laws. 

ENJOY  YOUB  YOUTH. 

While  thy  blood  is  warm,  and  thou  art  without 
wrinkles,  enjoy  thyself. 

A  GOOD  CAUSE  IN  WAR. 

It  is  the  cause  that  casts  down  or  encourages 
the  soldier;  unless  it  be  just,  shame  unnerves  his 

hands. 

SOMETHING  BEYOND  THE   GBAVE. 

\      There  is  something  beyond  the  grave;   death 
does  not  put  an  end  to  everything,  the  dark  shade 
'•  escapes  from  the  consumed  pile. 

A  KOAD  DIFFICULT  BUT   GLOBIOUS. 

I  am  climbing  a  difficult  road,  but  the  glory  that 
attends  success  gives  me  strength  for  the  labor. 


PUB LIU 'S  SYRUS.  473 

THE  GATE  OF  DEATH. 

The  gloomy  door  of  death  is  unlocked  to  the 
prayers  of  no  one. 


PUBLIUS  SYEUS. 

FLOURISHED   B.C.  45. 

PUBLIUS  SYRUS,  a  slave  brought  to  Rome  some 
years  before  the  downfall  of  the  Republic;  was 
designated  Syrus  from  the  country  of  his  birth. 
Of  his  personal  history  nothing  is  known,  except 
that  at  the  games  exhibited  by  Caesar,  B.C.  45,  he 
challenged  all  the  dramatists  of  the  day  to  contend 
with  him  in  improvising  upon  any  given  theme, 
and  carried  off  the  palm  from  every  competitor. 
A  compilation  of  pithy  sayings  under  the  title  of 
Publii  Syri  Sententiae,  extending  to  upwards  of  a 
thousand  lines  in  Iambic  and  Trochaic  measures, 
is  now  extant.  The  following  are  a  selection  from 
these  sayings. 

A  DRUNK  MAN. 

He  who  contends  with  the  drunken,  injures  the 
absent. 
This  is  the  common  proverb: — 

"  He  that  is  drunk  is  gone  from  home." 

A  HASTY  DECISION. 

He  who  decides  hastily,  will  soon  repent  of  his 
decision. 

"  Marry  in  haste,  repent  at  leisure." 


474  PUSLIUS  SYRUS. 

SUSPICION. 

The  losing  side  is  full  of  suspicion. 
Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VI."  Part  III.  act  v.  sc.  6)  says:— 
"  Suspicion  always  haunts  the  guilty  mind; 
The  thief  doth  fear  each  bush  an  officer." 
And  ("Othello,"  act  iii.  sc.  3):— 

"  Trifles,  light  as  ah-, 

Are,  to  the  jealous,  confirmations  strong 
As  proofs  of  holy  writ." 

DEBTS. 

A  slight  debt  produces  a  debtor;  a  heavy  one  an 
enemy. 

PROPERTY. 

That  which  belongs  to  another  pleases  us  most; 
while    that  which  is  ours,  is  more  pleasing  to 
'  others. 

DEBT. 
Debt  is  grievous  slavery  to  the  free  born. 

LOVE. 

To  love,  and  at  the  same  time  to  be  wise,  is 
scarcely  granted  even  to  a  god. 

A   FRIEND. 

It  is  not  allowable,  even  in  jest,  to  injure  a 
friend. 

A  FRIEND. 

To  lose  a  friend  is  the  greatest  of  all  losses. 

LOVE. 
To  love  is  in  our  power,  but  not  to  lay  it  aside. 


PUB  LIU S  SYBUS.  475 

PASSIONS. 

The  wise  man  is  the  master  of  his  passions,  the  / 
fool  is  their  slave. 

THE  OLD  WOMAN. 

When  the  old  crone  frolics,  she  flirts  with  death. 

BELAXATION. 

Straining  breaks  the  bow,  and  relaxation  the 
mind. 

A  WOMAN. 

i  K 

A  woman  either  loves  or  hates;  she  knows  no  -  - 
~\     medium. 

UNION. 

Union  gives  strength  and  firmness  to  the  humb- 
lest. 

A  KINDNESS. 

Accept  a  favor  and  you  sell  your  freedom. 

"  He  that  goes  a  borrowing  goes  a  sorrowing." 

THE   BENEVOLENT. 

The  beneficent  ever  looks  out  for  a  reason  to  - 
confer  favors. 

TO   DIE. 
It  is  to  die  twice,  to  die  at  the  will  of  another. 

KINDNESS. 

Spontaneous  kindness  is  always  most  acceptable. 

A  CONQUEROR. 

He  conquers  twice  who  conquers  himself  in  vic- 
tory. 


476  PUBLlUfi  SYRUS. 

GOOD  THINGS. 

The  continuance  of  prosperity  is  prejudicial. 

THE  GOOD. 

He  hurts  the  good  who  spares  the  bad. 
"  He  who  spares  vice  wrongs  virtue." 

MISFORTUNES   OF   OTHERS. 

It  is  good  to  see  in  the  misfortunes  of  others 
what  we  should  avoid. 


DANGER. 

f     He  is   most  safe  from  danger  who,  even  when 
,   safe,  is  on  his  guard. 

Burke  says: — 

"  Better  to  be  despised  for  too  anxious  apprehensions  than 
ruined  by  too  confident  a  security."  "  The  way  to  be  safe  -is 
never  to  feel  secure." 

REPENTANCE. 

Take  care  not  to  begin  anything  of  which  you 
may  repent. 

"  Consideration  is  the  parent  of  wisdom." 

DANGER. 

.    .  Danger  arrives  the  sioner  when  it  is  despised. 
"  Who  looks  not  before  finds  himself  behind." 

LOVER. 

Tou  should  force  a  lover  to  be  angry,  if  you 
wish  her  to  love. 

COMPANION. 

A  pleasant  companion  causes  you  not  to  per. 
ceive  the  length  of  the  journey. 


PUBLTUS  8YRU8.  477 

Shakespeare  says:  — 

"  And  yet  your  fair  discourse  hath  been  as  sugar, 
Making  the  hard  way  sweet  and  delectable." 

RELATIONSHIP.  ' 

Unity  of  feelings  and  affections  is  the  strongest 
relationship. 

PRUDENCE. 
You  conquer  better  by  prudence  than  by  passion. 

THE  FORTUNATE. 

Even  God  can  scarcely  get  the  better  of  the  for-  - 
tunate. 

REPUTATION. 

The  gain  which  is  made  at  the  expense  of  repu- 
tation should  be  set  down  as  a  loss. 

OPPORTUNITY. 

While  we  are  deliberating,  the  opportunity  is 
often  lost. 
Young  says: — 

"Be  wise  to-day;  'tis  madness  to  defer." 

DELIBERATION. 

That  should  be  considered  long  which  can  be  ,' 
decided  but  once. 

ACCUSATIONS. 

We  should  not  lend  an  easy  ear  to  accusations.  ~" 

DAYS. 

Each  succeeding  day  is  the  scholar    of    that   ' 
which  preceded. 


478  PUB  LI  US  SYR  US. 

WAR. 

Preparations  for  war  are  to  be  made  for  a  long 
time  before,  that  you  may  more  quickly  conquer. 

PAIN. 

The  pain  of  the  mind  is  worse  than  the  pain  of 
"  the  body. 

TO    FORGET. 

It  is  sometimes  expedient  to  forget  what  you 

know, 
i 

"  The  wise  man  does  not  hang  his  knowledge  on  a  hook." 

A  WOUND. 

-  Even  after  a  wound  is  healed  the  scar  remains. 

DIGNITY. 

It  is  more  easy  to  obtain  an  accession  of  dignity, 
than  to  acquire  it  in  the  first  instance. 

TKIAL,. 

—  He  who  flies  from  trial  confesses  his  crime. 

PHOSPEKITY. 

Prosperity  is  the  nurse  of  passion. 

FAITH. 

Trust,  like  the  soul,  never  returns  when  it  has 
once  gone. 

COUNTENANCE. 

A  pleasing  countenance  is  a  silent  commenda- 
1    tion. 


PUBLIUS  SYRUS. 

FOBTUNE.' ' 

\x    Fortune,  when  she  _cares_ses  a  man  too  much,    " 
x^T  makes  him  a  fool:   - 

FOBTUNE. 

Fortune  is  brittle  as  glass ;  at  the  very  time  she 
shines,  she  is  broken. 

PATIENCE.    . 

t^.     Patience,  when  too  often_putraged,  is  converted 
*\     info'madhess. 

Dryden  ("  Absalom  and  Ach.,"  pt.  i.  1.  1005)  says:— 
"  Beware  the  fury  of  a  fiaMent  man.    It's  enough  to  make 
a  parson  swear,  or  a  Quaker  kick  his  mother."  \ 

REMEDIES. 

Some  remedies  are  worse  than  the  disease. 

Seneca  (Med.  435)  expresses  this  idea  thus : — 
"  God  has  often  found  for  us  remedies  worse  than  the  dan-     t 
gers  in  which  we  are  involved." 

HABIT. 

The  power  of  habit  is  very  strong. 

HEIB. 

The  weeping  of  an  heir  is  laughter  under  a 
mask. 

GI/OBY. 

How  difficult,  alas!  is  it  to  maintain  the  glory 
we  have  inherited. 

PASSION. 

A  man  is  beside  himself  when  he  is  in  a  passion. 

MAN. 

Man  has  been  lent  to  life,  not  given  over  to  it. 


480  PUBLIUS  STEU8. 

THE  TIMES. 

He  who  yields  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times, 
acts  wisely. 

HATE. 
Take  care  that  no  one  hate  you  justly. 

FORGIVE. 
Forgive  others  many  things,  yourself  nothing. 

UNGRATEFUL. 

One  ungrateful  man  does  an  injury  to  all  who 
are  wretched. 

INJURIES. 


The  best  remedies  for  injuries  is  to  forget  them. 

Ben  Jonson  ("  Catiline,"  act  iii.  sc.  1)  says:— 

.  "  Whprft  it  (yinr^rns  himself, 

yf-.  Who's  angry  at  a  slander,  makes  it  true." 

KINDNESS. 

He  confers  a  kindness  twice  on  a  poor  man  who 
gives  quickly*"  ,  .  \ 

MADMAN. 

—  Every  madman^thinks;  all  other  men  mad. 
FAULT. 


ft. 

--->f" 


He  who  overlooks  one  fault,  invites  the  com- 
mission  of  another. 

THE    JUDGE. 

The  judge  is  condemned  when  the  guilty  is 

acquitted. 

MAGNANIMITY. 

Magnanimity  becomes  a  great  fortune. 


PUBLIUS  SYRUS.  481 

MISCHIEF. 

He  who  wishes  to  do  mischief  is  never  without 
a  reason. 

EMPIRE. 

The  greatest  empire  may  be  .lost  Jar  ,the ^misrule 

of  its  governors. 

Thus  Euripides  (Suppl.  190)  says:— 

"  For  it  possesses  thee  as  an  able  ruler,  through  want  of 
which  many  cities  have  perished  from  lack  of  a  general." 

MALEVOLENT. 

The  malevolent  have  secret  teeth. 


The  master,  who  dreads  his  servants,  is  lower 
than  a  servant. 

FORTUNE.     \^ 


That  fortune  is  most  wretched,  which  is  without 
an'enemy. 

TO    CONCEAL. 

It  is  miserable  to  be  compelled  to  conceal  what 
you  wish  jo  proclaim.  "~ 

DELAY. 

Every  delay  is  hateful,  but  it  gives  wisdom.    - 

^BEATH. 

It  is  fortunate  to  die  before  you  call  upon  death. 

FEAE. 

He  who  is  feared  by  many  must  fear  many.  - 
31 


482  PUBLIUS  SYR  US. 

NECESSITY. 

Necessity  imposes  law,  does  not  herself  receive 
,  it. 

Simonides  of  Ceos  (Fr.  4, 23,  S.)  says:— 

"  Not  even  the  gods  contend  with  necessity. " 

HIGH  STATION. 

No  one  has  arrived  at  high  station  without  un- 
dergoing some  hazard. 

WICKEDNESS. 

Wickedness  is  its  own  punishment. 

TRUTH.     *-"- 

/  In  excessive  alterca&on  truth  is  lost, 
i  — 

TO   PLEASE. 

j  Do  not  care  how  many,  but  whom  you  please. 

GAIN. 

There  is  no  gain  so  certain  as  that  which  arises 
from  sparing  what  you  have. 

OPPORTUNITY. 

I     A  good  opportunity  is  seldom  presented,  and  is 
easily  lost. 

LIFE. 

[    O  life !  long  to  the  miserable,  short  to  the  happy ! 

Apollodorus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1106,  M.)  says: — 
"  For  to  the  care-worn  and  those  in  grief,  every  night  ap- 
pears to  be  long." 

7 

'  WICKEDNESS. 

he  wickedness  of  a  few  brings  calamity  on  all. 


PUB  LI  US  SYRUS.  483 


. 

God  looks  to  pure  and  not  to  full  hjmds. 

GOOD  MAN. 

No  good  man  ever  became  suddenly  rich. 

FRIENDS. 

Admonish  your  friends  secretly,   praise  them 
openly^ 

TO  PERISH. 

It  is  a  great  consolation  to  perish  with  all  the 
world. 

TO   FEAK. 

It  is  foolish  to  fear  what  you  cannot  avoid.  H^ 

MISER. 

The  miser  is  in  as  much  want  of  that  which  he 
has  as  of  that  which  he  has  not. 

HASTY  COUNSELS. 

Hasty  counsels  arc  quickly  followed  by  repent- 
ance. 

TO  BE  KNOWN. 

You  wish  to  be  known  to  all;  you  will  know  no 
one. 

FLATTERY. 

Flattery,  which  was  formerly  a  vice,  is  now  a 
custom. 

SHIPWRECK. 

That  man  foolishly  blames  the  sea  who  is  a  sec- 
ond time  shipwrecked. 

"If  a  man  deceive  me  once,  shame  on  him;  if  he  deceive 
me  twice,  shame  on  me.'' 


484  QUINTILIAN. 


BANKS. 


Unless  ranks  are  observed,  the  highest  place  is 
safe  to  no  one. 


TO  LIVE. 


You  should  not  live  one  way  in  private  and  an- 
i  other  in  public. 


»      I  regret  often  that  I  have  spoken,  never  that  I 
.  have  been  silent. 

Amphis  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  655,  M.)  says:— 

"  There  is  nothing  better  than  silence." 


The  conversation  is  the  image  of  the  mind.    As 
the  man,  so  is  his  mode  of  talking. 


If  you  wish  to  arrive  at  the  highest,  begin  from 
the  lowest. 


QUINTILIAN. 

BOEN  A.D.   40 — DIED  ABOUT  A.D.   118. 

MARCUS  FATSIUS  QUINTILIANUS,  the  most  cele- 
brated of  Eoman  rhetoricians,  was  a  native  of  Cal- 
agurris  (Calahorra),  in  the  upper  valley  of  the 
Ebro.  Though  educated  at  Koine,  he  seems  to 
have  returned  to  Spain,  as  we  find  him  accompa- 
nying Galba  to  Rome  A.D.  68.  He  acquired  some 
reputation  at  the  bar,  though  he  was  chiefly  dis- 


QUINTILIAN.  485 

tinguished  as  a  teacher  of  eloquence.  Among  his 
pupils  were  Pliny  the  younger,  and  the  two  grand- 
nephews  of  Domitian.  By  this  emperor  he  was 
adorned  with  the  insignia  of  the  consulship,  and 
was  the  first  public  instructor,  who  received  a  reg- 
ular salary  from  the  imperial  exchequer.  The 
great  work  of  Quintilian  is  a  complete  system  of 
rhetoric,  in  twelve  books,  entitled  "De  Institu- 
tione  Oratoris  Libri  XII.,"  dedicated  to  his  friend 
Harcellus  Victorius. 

OBATOR. 

Now,  according  to  my  definition,  no  man  can  be 
a  complete  orator  unless  he  is  a  good  man. 

GENIUS. 

One  thing,  however,  I  must  premise,  that  with- 
out the  assistance  of  natural  capacity,  rules  and 
precepts  are  of  no  efficacy. 

DIVINE   ORIGIN   OF  THE   MIND.    \f 

As  birds  are  provided  by  nature  with  a  propen- 
sity to  fly,  horses  to  run,  and  wild  beasts  to  be  sav- 
age so  the  working  and  the  sagacity  of  the  brain  is 
peculiar  to  man;  and  hence  it  is  that  his  mind  is 
supposed  to  be  of  divine  original. 

THE  DULL. 

The  dull  and  the  indocile  are  in  no  other  sense 
the  productions  of  nature  than  are  monstrous 
shapes  and  extraordinary  objects,  which  are  very 
rare. 

YOUTH  TENACIOUS   OF   WHAT   IT   IMBIBES. 

By  nature  we  are  very  tenacious  of  what  we  im- 
bibe in  the  dawn  of  life,  in  the  same  manner  as 


486  qUINTILIAN. 

new  vessels  retain  the  flavor  which  they  first  drink 
in.  VThere  is  no  recovering  wool  to  its^  native 
whiteness  after  it  is  dyed^  \ 

SMATTERERS. 

For  nothing  is  more  nauseous  than  men  who, 
having  just  got  a  smattering^n  learning,  vainly 
persuade  themselves  that  they  are"men  of  knowl- 
edge. 

AN  INDULGENT  EDUCATION. 

That  effeminate  education,  which  we  call  indul- 
gence, destroys  all  the  strength  both  of  mind  and 
body. 

A  FIRST-KATE  TEACHER,    t, 

Every  first-rate  teacher  rejoices  in  the  number 
of  his  pupils,  and  thinks  himself  worthy  of  a 
larger  audience. 

HANDWRITING. 

Men  of  quality  are  in  the  wrong  to  undervalue, 
as  they  often  do,  the  practice  of  a  fair  and  quick 
hand  in  writing;  for  it  is  no  immaterial  accom- 
plishment. 

THE   SCHOOLMASTER. 

A  master,  let  him  have  but  a  moderate  tincture 
of  learning,  will  for  his  own  credit  cherish  appli- 
cation and  genius,  wherever  he  finds  them. 

AMBITION. 

Though  ambition  in  itself  is  a  vice,  yet  it  is 
often  the  parent  of  virtues. 


qUINTILIAN.  487 

MIMICKY. 

I  have  no  great  opinion  of  any  boy's  capacity,  ' 
whose  whole  aim  is  to  raise  a  laugh  by  his  talent  ' 
of  mimicry. 

PREMATURITY  OF  GENIUS. 

It  seldom  happens  that  a  premature  shoot  of 
genius  ever  arrives  at  maturity. 

A  BOY  OF  GENIUS. 

Give  me  the  boy  who  rouses  when  he  is  praised, 
who  profits  wlieiThe  is  encouraged,  and  who  cries 
when  ho  is  defeated.  Such  a  boy  will  be  fired  !>y 
ambition;  he  will  be  stung  by  reproach,  ahcf  ani- 
mated by  preference :  never  shall  I  apprehend  any 
bad  consequences  from  idleness  in  such  a  boy. 

EVIL  HABITS. 

For  evil  habits,  when  they  once  settle,  are  more 
easily  broken  than  mended. 

SHOULD  CHILDREN  BE  WHIPPED  ? 

I  am  by  no  means  for  whipping  boys  who  are 
learning — in  the  first  place,  because  the  practice  is 
unseemly  and  slavish  ;  and  in  the  next  place,  if  the 
boy's  genius  is  so  dull  as  to  be  proof  against  re- 
proach, he  will,  like  a  worthless  slave,  become  in- 
sensible to  blows  likewise. 

CUSTOM. 

The  common  usage  of  learned  men,  however,  is 
the  surest  director  of  speaking;  and  language, 
like  money,  when  it  receives  the  public  stamp, 
ought  to  have  currency. 


488  qUINTILIAN. 

USAGE  OF  LANGUAGE. 

I,  therefore,  look  upon  the  general  practice  of 
•'  the  learned  to  be  the  usage  of  language,  in  like 
,  manner  as  the  general  practice  of  the  virtuous  is 
to  be  considered  as  the  usage  of  life. 

MUSIC. 

For  every  man,  when  at  work,  even  by  himself, 
has  his  own  song,  however  rude  it  may  be,  that 
softens  his  labor. 
R.  Gilford's  "  Contemplation  ":— 

"  Verse  sweetens  toil,  however  rude  the  sound; 

All  at  her  work  the  village  maiden  sings, 

Nor  while  she  turns  the  giddy  wheel  around, 

Revolves  the  sad  vicissitudes  of  things." 

THE  ILLITERATE. 

In  short  it  has  become  a  proverb  amongst  the 
Greeks,  that  the  illiterate  has  no  acquaintance 
with  the  muses  and  the  graces. 

THE  MINI). 

Our  minds  are  like  our  stomachs;  they  are 
whetted  by  the  change  of  their  food,  and  variety 
supplies  both  with  fresh  appetite. 

ELOQUENCE. 

But  give  me  the  reader  who  figures  in  his  mind 
the  idea  of  eloquence,  all  divine  as  she  is,  who, 
with  Euripides,  gazes  upon  her  all-subduing 
charms;  who  seeks  not  his  reward  from  the  venal 
fee  for  his  voice,  but  from  that  reflection,  that  im- 
agination, that  perfection  of  mind,  which  time 
cannot  destroy,  nor  fortune  affect. 

Fenelon  says  of  Demosthenes:— 

"He  uses  language  as  a  modest  man  does  his  coat— as 
clothing,  not  as  ornament." 


QUINTILIAN.  489 

REASONS  FOR  SLOTH. 

We  make  a  pretext  of  difficulty  for  our  sloth.   —    _ 

EXPERIENCE. 

For  in  almost  every  art,  experience  is  more  ser-  / 
viceable  than  precepts. 

TO     MAKE      THE      WORSE      APPEAR     THE     BETTER 
REASON. 

For  comic  writers  charge  Socrates  with  making 
the  worse  appear  the  better  reason. 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  ii.  113)  says: — 

"  Though  his  tongue 

Dropt  manna,  and  could  make  the  worse 
Appear  the  better  reason." 


God,  that  all-powerful  Creator  of  nature,  andP 
Architect  of  the  world,  has  impressed  man  withl 
no  character  so  proper  to  distinguish  him  from! 
other  animals,  as  by  the  faculty  of  speech. 

WHAT   ART   CAN   EFFECT. 

In  short,  nature  supplies  the  material,  art  works 
upon  it.  Art  can  effect  nothing  without  material, 
yet  there  is  an  inherent  value  in  the  material, 
though  untouched  by  the  art  of  man.  Perfection 
of  art  is  superior  to  the  best  material. 

WHAT  IS  BORN. 

Everything  comes  to  an  end  which  has  a  begin- 
ning. 

A  JEST. 
Let  all  malice  be  removed,  and  let  us  never 


490  QUINTILIAN. 

adopt  that  maxim.    Eather  to  lose  our  friend  than 
our  jest. 

A  LAUGH. 

A  laugh  is  too  dearly  bought,  when  purchased 
at  the  expense  of  virtue. 

RIDICULING   THE  MISERABLE. 

>  For  it  is  unfeeling  to  ridicule  the  wretched. 

WHAT  MAKES  A  MAN  ELOQUENT. 

It  is  the  heart  and  mental  energy  that  inspires 
eloquence. 

BRILLIANT  THOUGHTS  IN  ORATORY. 

Brilliant  thoughts  are,  I  consider,  as  it  were,  the 
eyes  of  eloquence ;  but  I  would  not  that  the  body 
were  all  eyes,  lest  the  other  members  should  lose 
their  proper  functions. 

AN   OATH. 

To  swear,  except  when  it  is  positively  necessary, 
(  is  unbecoming  a  man  of  honor. 

So  Matthew  v.  34-37:— 

"  But  I  say  unto  you,  Swear  not  at  all:  neither  by  heaven; 
for  it  is  God's  throne:  nor  by  the  earth;  for  it  is  His  foot- 
stool: neither  by  Jerusalem;  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  great 
King.  Neither  shalt  thou  swear  by  thy  head,  because  thou 
canst  not  make  one  hair  white  or  black.  But  let  your  com- 
munication be,  Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay:  for  whatsoever  is  more 
than  these  cometh  of  evil." 

MISERY. 

The  prosperous  can  with  difficulty  form  a  right 
idea  of  misery. 

WHAT  RENDERS  A  MAN  ELOQUENT. 

For  it  is  strength  and  energy  that  render  a  man 


qUINTILIAN.  491 

eloquent.  As  a  proof  of  this,  we  see  that  the 
most  ignorant  person,  when  his  passions  are  suf- 
ficiently roused,  has  words  at  will. 

A   WICKED   CONSCIENCE. 

For  there  is  nothing  so  distracted,  of  such  dif- 
ferent forms,  so  cut  up  and  tortured  by  many  and 
various  apprehensions,  as  a  wicked  conscience. 
For  while  it  is  contriving  the  ruin  of  another,  it- 
self is  under  the  torture  of  uncertainty,  anxiety, 
and  dread.  Nay,  even  when  it  is  successful  in  in- 
iquity, it  is  tormented  with  disquiet,  remorse,  and 
the  expectation  of  the  most  dreadful  punishments. 

SEARCH   AFTER  TRUTH. 

While  we  are  seai'ching  all  tilings,  sometimes 
we  find  the  truth  where  we  least  expected  it. 

So  Isaiah  Iv.  6: — 

"Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  He  maybe  found,  call  ye  upon 
Him  while  He  is  near." 

TO  DESTROY  ONE'S  NEIGHBOR. 

For  it  would  have  been  better  that  man  should 
have  been  born  dumb,  nay,  void  of  all  reason, 
rather  than  that  he  should  employ  the  gifts  of 
Providence  to  the  destruction  of  his  neighbor. 

VIRTUE   MUST   RECEIVE    A   FINISHING-STROKE 
FROM   LEARNING. 

Virtue,  though  she  in  some  measure  receives 
her  beginning  from  nature,  yet  gets  her  finishing 
excellencies  from  learning. 


EASY  TO   BE   VIRTUOUS. 

s  formed  us  with  honest 
and  when  we  are  so  inclined,  it  is  so  very  easy  to 


Nature  has  formed  us  with  honest  inclinations,  : 


492  SALLUST. 

be  virtuous,  that,  if  we  seriously  reflect,  nothing 
is  more  astonishing  than  to  see  so  many  wicked. 

OMNIPRESENCE  OF  GOD. 

Cultivate  innocence,  and  think  not  that  your 
deeds,  because  they  are  concealed,  will  be  unpun- 
ished ;  you  have  committed  them  under  the  canopy 
of  heaven — there  is  a  more  powerful  witness. 

DANGER  OF  SUDDEN  CHANGE  OF  FORTUNE. 

Nothing  is  more  dangerous  among  men  than  a 
sudden  change  of  fortune. 

FEAR  OF  THE  FUTURE. 

The  fear  of  the  future  is  worse  than  the  fortune 
of  the  present  moment. 

FORBIDDEN  PLEASURES. 

Things  forbidden  alone  are  loved  immodei-ately 
.  .  .  when  they  may  be  enjoyed,  they  do  not  ex- 
•  cite  the  desire. 

SATIETY  OF  PLEASURE. 

Satiety  is  close  on  continued  pleasures. 


SALLUST. 

BORN  B.C.  86 — DIED  B.C.  34. 

C.  SALLUSTIUS  CRISPUS  was  born  B.C.  86,  at 
Amiternum,  in  the  country  of  the  Sabines.  In 
B.C  52  we  find  him  tribunus  plebis,  and  two  years 
afterwards  he  was  ejected  from  the  senate  by  the 
censors,  on  account  of  immoral  conduct.  How- 


SALLUST.  493 

ever,  he  seems  to  have  been  restored  to  his  rank, 
as  he  was  praetor  in  B.C.  47.  Next  year  he  accom- 
panied Csesar  in  his  African  war,  and  was  there 
left  governor  of  Xumidia.  Here  he  is  accused  of 
having  amassed  immense  riches  by  the  oppression 
of  the  people,  and  many  scandalous  tales  are  told 
respecting  him.  On  returning  from  Africa  he  re- 
tired into  private  life,  and  passed  quietly  through 
the  troublesome  period  after  Caesar's  death,  dy- 
ing B.C.  34. 

MIND  AND  BODY. 

Our  whole  strength  resides  in  the  powers  of  the 
mind  and  body;  while  we  are  willing  to  submit  to 
the  directions  of  the  former,  we  are  anxious  to 
render  the  body  subservient  to  our  will.  The  one 
is  common  to  us  with  the  gods;  the  other  with  the 
lower  animals. 

MIND. 

The  glory  derived  from  riches  and  beauty  is 
fleeting  and  frail:  the  endowments  of  the  mind 
form  the  only  illustrious  and  lasting  possession.  > 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  570,  M.)  says: — 
"We  must  have  our  mind  rich:  the  riches  of  this  world  are 
merely  outward  show,  that  veil  the  real  character." 

FORETHOUGHT. 

Before  one  begins,  there  is  need  of  forethought, 
and  after  we  have  carefully  considered,  there  is 
need  of  speedy  execution. 

MIND. 

All  the  operations  of  agriculture,  navigation, 
and  architecture  depend  for  their  success  on  the 
endowments  of  the  mind. 


494  SALLUST. 

ACTIVE  LIFE. 

He  and  he  alone  seems  to  me  to  have  the  full 
enjoyment  of  his  existence,  who,  in  whatever  em- 
ployment he  may  be  engaged,  seeks  for  the  repu- 
tation arising  from  some  praiseworthy  deed,  or  the 
exercise  of  some  useful  talent.  But  in  the  great 
variety  of  employments,  nature  points  out  differ- 
ent paths  to  different  individuals. 

So  Wordsworth  ("Tintern  Revisited"):— 

"  Our  acts  our  angels  are,  or  good  or  fll, 
Our  fatal  shadows  that  walk  by  us  still." 

CATILINE. 

Greedy  of  the  possessions  of  others,  lavish  of 
his  own,  eager  in  his  pursuits,  fluent  enough  in 
language,  but  possessed  of  little  common  sense. 

MORE  BLESSED  TO   GIVE  THAN  TO  BECEIVE. 

(The  Romans  assisted  their  allies  and  friends, 
and  acquired  friendships  by  giving  rather  than  re- 
ceiving kindnesses. 

Acts  xx.  35: — 

"  And  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said, 
It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive." 

FORTUNE. 

But  assuredly  Fortune  rules  in  all  things;  she 
raises  to  eminence  or  buries  in  oblivion  everything 
from  caprice  rather  than  from  well  regulated 
principle. 

AMBITION. 

Ambition  hath  made  many  men  hypocrites;  to 
have  one  thing  concealed  in  the  breast,  and  an- 
other ready  on  the  tongue;  to  estimate  friendships 
and  enmities  not  from  their  real  worth  but  from 


8ALLUST.  495 

motives  of  private  advantage ;  and  to  have  a  fair 
outside  rather  than  an  honest  heart. 

THE   GOOD   AND   THE   BAD. 

The  virtuous  and  unprincipled  are  equally  anx- 
ious for  glory,  honor,  and  command;  but  the  one 
strives  to  attain  them  by  honorable  means,  the 
other  aims  at  the  attainment  of  his  object  by 
knavery  and  deceit,  because  good  arts  fail  him. 

PROSPERITY.  c/~ 

The  truth  is,  prosperity  unhinges  the  minds  of  1 
the  wise;  much  less  could  they,  with  their  corrupt 
habits,  be  expected  to  refrain  from  abusing  their  • 
victory. 

THE   MALEVOLENT. 

He  was  malevolent  and  cruel,  without  any  views 
of  private  advantage,  lest  his  hands  should  get 
stiff  through  want  of  practice. 

FRIENDSHIP.      (^ 

For  to  have  the  same  predilections  and  the  same 
aversions,  that  and  that  alone  is  the  surest  bond 
of  friendship. 

FORTUNE.     \/ 

Behold  that,  that  liberty,  for  which  you  have  ' 
so  often  panted ;  besides,  riches,  honor,  glory,  are 
placed    before    your    eyes.     Fortune    hath  given 
every  reward  to  the  conquerors. 

THE  POOR. 

For  always  in  a  state,   those  who  have  no  re-   \ 
sources  of  their  own  look  with  an  evil  eye  on  the 
higher  classes  of  their  fellow-citizens;  elevate  to 


496  SALLl'ST. 

office  those  who  are  the  same  stamp  with  them- 
selves; hate  old  things  and  desire  new;  are  anx- 
ious for  change  from  dislike  of  their  own;  are 
supported  by  public  disturbance  without  any  ap- 
prehension for  themselves,  since  poverty  is  upheld 
easily  without  loss. 

MATTERS  OF  IMPORTANCE. 

All  who  deliberate  on  matters  of  importance, 
ought  to  be  uninfluenced  with  feelings  of  hatred, 
friendship,  anger,  or  compassion. 

THE  LOW  AND  THE  HIGH. 

Those  who  pass  their  lives  sunk  in  obscurity,  if 
they  have  committed  any  offence  through  the  im- 
pulse of  passion,  few  know  of  it;  their  reputation 
and  fortune  are  alike:  those,  who  are  in  great 
command  and  in  an  exalted  station,  have  their 
deeds  known  to  all  men.  Thus,Vn  the  highest 
condition  of  life  there  is  the  least  freedom_of  ac- 
tion. Tliey  ought  to  show  neither  partiality  nor 
hatred,  but  least  of  all  resentment ; \what  in  others 
is  called  hastiness  of  temper  is  in  those  invested 
with  power  styled  haughtiness  and  cruelty.  \ 


Eespecting  punishment,  we  may  surely  say  that 
which  the  case  warrants;  in  grief  and  misery  death 
is  a  reprieve  from  the  sorrows  of  life,  not  a  pun- 
ishment; it  puts  a  termination  to  all  the  ills  of 
mankind:  beyond  the  grave  there  is  room  for 
neither  care  nor  joy. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Antig.  17)  says:— 

"  For  death  is  the  end  of  troubles  to  men,  for  what  is  better 
to  men  than  this?  For  who  wounding  a  rocky  cliff  with  a 
spear  will  cause  it  pain?  Who  can  dishonor  the  dead  if  they 
feel  nothing? " 


8ALLUST.  497 

.Eschyl.  (Fr.  Philoct.)  says:— 

"  O  Death,  thou  deliverer,  do  not  slight  me  coming  to  thee: 
for  thou  alone  art  the  physician  of  incurable  ills:  no  grief 
reaches  the  dead." 

THE   GODS. 

The  aid  of  the  gods  is  procured  not  by  vows  and 
womanish  supplications;  all  things  turn  out  well 
by  watching,  activity,  and  good  counsel.  When 
you  have  given  yourself  up  to  sloth  and  idleness, 
it  is  in  vain  to  implore  the  gods;  they  are  angry 
and  hostile  to  you. 

GOODNESS. 

He  preferred  to  be  good  in  reality,  rather  than 
to  seem  so. 

THE   SLOTHFUL,. 

The  man  who  is  roused  neither  by  glory  nor  by 
danger,  it  is  in  vain  to  exhort;  terror  closes  the 
ears  of  the  mind. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Archel.  8)  says:— 

"  For  a  young  man  ought  always  to  be  daring:  for  no  sloth- 
ful man  becomes  famous;  but  it  is  labor  that  procures  glory. " 

COWARDS. 

For  to  hope  for  safety  in  flight,  when  you  have 
turned  your  arms,  with  which  the  body  is  pro- 
tected, from  the  enemy,  that  indeed  is  folly.  In 
battle  the  greatest  cowards  are  in  greatest  danger; 
boldness  is  the  best  defence. 


The  mind  is  the  leader  and  director  of  mankind ; 
when  it  aims  at  glory  by  a  virtuous  life,  it  is  suffi- 
ciently powerful,  efficient,  and  noble;  it  stands  in 
no  need  of  the  assistance  of  Fortune,  since  it  can 
32 


498  SALLUST. 

neither  give  nor  take  away  integrity,  industry,  nor 
other  praiseworthy  qualities. 

THE  MIND. 

Personal  beauty,  great  riches,  strength  of  body, 
and  all  other  things  of  this  kind,  pass  away  in  a 
short  time ;  but  the  noble  productions  of  the  mind, 
like  the  soul  itself,  are  immortal.  In  fine,  as  there 
is  a  beginning,  so  there  is  an  end  of  the  advantages 
of  person  and  fortune;  all  things  that  rise  must 
set,  and  those  that  have  grown  must  fade  away: 
the  mind  is  incorruptible,  eternal,  the  governor  of 
the  human  i-ace,  directs  and  overrules  all  things, 
nor  is  itself  under  the  power  of  any. 

OPPORTUNITY. 

Opportunity  leads  even  moderate  men  astray 
from  the  path  of  duty  by  the  hope  of  self-aggran- 
dizement. 

CONCORD. 

Neither  armies  nor  treasures  are  the  bulwarks 
of  a  kingdom ;  but  friends  whom  you  can  neither 
command  by  force,  nor  purchase  by  gold :  they  are 
gained  by  kind  offices,  and  by  the  exercise  of 
fidelity.  Who  ought  to  be  more  friendly  than  a 
brother  to  a  brother  ?  or  what  stranger  will  you 
find  to  be  faithful,  if  you  be  an  enemy  to  your 
own  connections  ?  I  indeed  deliver  to  you  a  king- 
dom, which  is  strong,  if  you  are  good;  weak  if 
you  are  bad.  For  a  small  state  increases  by  con- 
cord; the  greatest  state  falls  gradually  to  ruin  by 
dissension. 

ROME. 
•     I3iit  after  he  had  left  Home,  he  is  said,  often 


SAL  LUST.  499 

looking  back  in  silence,  to  have  exclaimed,  "  Ah,  / 
venal  city!  destined  soon  to  perish,  could  it  but 
find  a  purchaser." 

A  GOOD   MAN. 

It  is  better  for  a  good  man  to  be  overcome  by 
his  opponents  than  to  conquer  injustice  by  uncon- 
stitutional means. 

A  BOASTEB. 

Impatient  of  labor  and  of  danger,  more  ready  to 
boast  of  their  valor  than  to  display  it. 

ANCESTORS. 

The  glory  of  ancestors  sheds  a  light  around  pos-  \ 
terity;  it  allows  neither  their  good  nor  bad  quali-  ' 
ties  to  remain  in  obscurity. 

ANCESTORS. 

But  proud  men  are  very  much  mistaken.  Their 
ancestors  have  left  all  things  which  are  in  their 
power  to  them — riches,  images,  the  noble  recol- 
lection of  themselves;  they  have  not  left  their 
virtue,  nor  were  they  able :  it  alone  can  neither  be  , 
presented  as  a  gift,  nor  received. 

CHILDREN. 

No  one  has  become  immortal  by  sloth,  nor  has 
any  parent  prayed  that  their  children  should  live 
forever;  but  rather  that  they  should  lead  an  hon- 
orable and  upright  life. 

KINGS. 

In  general  the  desires  of  kings,  though  impetu- 
ous, are  unstable,  and  often  inconsistent. 


500  SENECA. 

EVERY  ONE  THE  AETIFICER  OF  HIS  OWN  FORTUNE. 

Every  one  is  the  artificer  of  his  own  fortune. 
Shakespeare  ("  Jul.  Caes."  act  i.  sc.  2)  says:— 

"  Men  at  some  time  are  masters  of  their  fates: 
The  fault,  dear  Brutus,  is  not  in  our  stars, 
But  in  ourselves,  that  we  are  underlings." 


SENECA. 

BORN  ABOUT  A.D.    1 — DIED  A.D.   65. 

L.  ANN^EUS  SENECA,  son  of  M.  Annseus  Seneca, 
was  born  at  Corduba,  and  brought  to  Home  by  his 
parents  when  he  was  a  child.  He  was  educated  at 
Eome,  and  acquired  distinction  at  an  early  age  as 
a  pleader  of  causes,  exciting  the  hatred  of  Caligula 
from  the  ability  he  displayed  in  conducting  a  cause 
before  him.  In  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Clau- 
dius, A.D.  41,  he  was  ordered  to  retire  in  exile  to 
Corsica,  where  he  resided  for  eight  years,  being 
recalled  by  the  influence  of  Agrippina,  A.D.  49. 
He  then  obtained  the  praetorship,  and  became  tu- 
tor to  the  emperor  Nero.  His  pupil  did  him  no 
credit,  but  it  would  be  unjust  to  blame  him  for 
the  subsequent  conduct  of  Nero.  He  did  not,  in- 
deed, make  him  a  good  or  a  wise  man ;  his  natural 
disposition,  however,  was  probably  irreclaimable. 
For  some  years  he  was  the  chief  minister  of  Nero, 
but,  falling  into  disgrace,  he  received  notice  to 
die,  and  suffocated  himself  in  a  vapor  bath,  A.D. 
65. 


SENECA.  601 

NONE   BUT  HIMSELF   EQUAL  TO   IIIMSELF. 

Do  you  seek  a  match  for  the  descendant  of  Al- 
caeus  ?    There  is  no  one  but  himself. 
Louis  Theobald  ("  The  Double  Falsehood  ")  says:— 
"  None  but  himself  can  be  his  parallel." 

THE   MOB. 

The  mob  more  restless  than  the  waves  of  the  ' 
sea. 

ENJOY  THE   PRESENT. 

Few  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  peaceful  repose,  who 
consider  how  swiftly  time  passes  that  is  never  to 
return.  While  the  fates  allow,  eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry.'  Life  hurries  forward  with  rapid  step,  and 
the  wheel  of  time  rolls  011  in  its  ceaseless  round. 

MIGHT    MAKES  RIGHT, 

Successful  crime  is  dignified  with  the  name  of 
virtue;  the  good  become  the  slaves  of  the  impious; 
might  makes  right;  fear  silences  the  power  of  the 
law. 

Wordsworth  ("  Rob  Roy's  Grave,"  st.  9):— 
"  Because  the  good  old  rule 

Sufficeth  them,  the  simple  plan, 
That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power, 

And  they  should  keep  who  can." 
And  Sir  John  Harrington  ("  Epig."  bk.  iv.  Ep.  3): — 
"  Treason  doth  never  prosper,  what's  the  reason? 

Why,  if  it  prosper,  none  dare  call  it  treason." 
Beilby  Porteus  ("  Death,"  1.  154):— 

"  One  murder  made  a  villain, 
millions  a  hero.    Princes  were  privileged 
To  kill,  and  numbers  sanctified  the  crime." 
Young  ("  Love  of  Fame,"  Sat.  vii.  1.  55):— 
"  One  to  destroy  is  murder  by  the  law; 
And  gibbets  keep  the  lifted  hand  in  awe; 


502  SENECA. 

To  murder  thousands  takes  a  specious  name, 
War's  glorious  art,  and  gives  immortal  fame." 

THE   MISERABLE   EASILY   GIVE  CREDIT   TO     FEAR. 

The  miserable  easily  give-  credit  to  that  which 
they  wish.  Nay,  they  are  apt  to  believe  that  what 
they  fear  can  never  be  got  rid  of.  Fear  is  ever 
credulous  of  evil. 

THE    PITCHER     GOES     ONCE     TOO     OFTEN     TO     THE 
WELL. 

Adverse  fortune  seldom  spare  men  of  the  noblest 
virtues.     No  one  can  with  safety  expose  himself 
often  to  dangers.     The  man  who  has  often  escaped 
•   is  at  last  caught. 

"  The  pitcher  doth  not  go  so  often  to  the  well,  but'  it  comes 
home  broken  at  last." 

TO   BOAST   OF   ONE'S   PEDIGREE. 

j/      He  who  boasts  of  his    descent,  praises  what 
[>     belongs  to  another. 

SAFETY  IN  THE   SWORD. 

The  sword  is  the  protection  of  all. 

SOVEREIGNTY. 

When  thou  occupiest  the  throne  of  another,  thy 
power  is  insecure. 

ENVY  OF  THOSE    IN  POWER. 

To  be  able  to  endure  odium,  is  the  first  art  to 
be  learned  by  those  who  aspire  to  power. 

THE   PROUD. 

The  avenging  God  follows  close  on  the  haughty. 

So  Psalm  v.  5: — 

"The  foolish  shall  not  stand  in  Thy  sight:  Thou  hatest  all 
workers  of  iniquity." 


SENECA.  503 

THE    FUKY   OP    WAR. 

There  is  no  moderation  in  arms,  nor  can  the 
drawn  sword  easily  be  stopped  or  put  into  the 
scabbard:  war  delights  in  bloodshed. 

DIE   RATHER  THAN   ACT   AGAINST   THE   WILL. 

The  man  who  can  be  forced  to  act  against  his  '/ 
will  knows  not  how  to  die. 

THE   ASCENT  TO  HEAVEN  IS  NOT  EASY. 

The  ascent  to  heaven  from  this  earth  is  not  easy. 

So  Proverbs  xv.  24:— 

"  The  way  of  life  is  above  to  the  wise,  that  he  may  depart 
from  hell  beneath." 

MISERY  THE  LOT  OF  HUMANITY. 

Whenever  thou  seest  a  fellow-creature  in  dis- 
tress, know  that  thou  seest  a  human  being. 

So  Luke  x.  37: — 

"  He  that  showed  mercy  on  him  was  his  neighbor." 

THE   WRETCHED   FATE   OF   THE   GOOD. 

O  Fortune,  that  en  vies  t  the  brave,  what  unequal 
rewards  thou  bestowest  on  the  righteous  I 

HUMBLE   FORTUNE. 

In  humble  fortune  there  is  great  repose. 

THE  FEAR  OF  WAR. 

The  fear  of  war  is  worse  than  war  itself. 

TRUE  LOVE. 

True  love  hates  delays  and  does  not  submit  to 
them. 


504  SENECA. 

NO   FATE  OF    LIFE   IS   LONG. 

Man's  fate  never  continues  long  the  same,  sor- 
row and  pleasure  alternate;  pleasure  is  more  brief. 
A  few  moments  raise  the  lowest  of  mankind  to  the 
highest  pinnacle  of  honor. 

THE   POWER  OF    THE   ALMIGHTY. 

Every  monarch  is  subject  to  a  mightier  power. 

REMEMBRANCE     OF     WHAT     WAS     DIFFICULT    18 
PLEASANT. 

What  was  difficult  to  endure  is  pleasant  to  call 
to  remembrance. 

THE  GUILTY  OVERWHELMED  BY  HIS  OWN  ACTS. 

Man  suffers  for  his  deeds:  crime  finds  out  its 
author,  and  the  guilty  is  overwhelmed  by  his  own 
acts. 

WE   ARE   DYING   FROM   THE   FIRST  MOMENT   OF  OUR 
BIRTH. 

The  first  moment  which  gives  us  birth  begins  to 
take  life  from  us. 

THE  HEAVY-LADEN. 

Let  the  weary  and  heavy-laden  at  length  enjoy 
repose. 

ONE  CRIME  BEGETS    ANOTHER. 

While  one  crime  is  punished,  it  begets  another. 

THE  ADVANTAGE   ENJOYED  BY  A  MONARCH. 

This  is  the  highest  advantage  to  be  derived  by 
a  monarch,  that  his  people  is  obliged  not  only  to 
submit  to  but  to  praise  the  deeds  of  their  monarch. 


SENECA.  505 

THE  HUMBLE   OFTEN  RECEIVE  GREAT  PRAISE. 

The  humble  and  lowly-born  often  receive  true 
praise. 

THE  EXAMPLE  OF  THE  HIGH-BORN. 

p 

The  king  should  wish  what  is  honorable,  and  • 
every  one  will  wish  the  same. 

DESPOTISM. 

Atr.  Wherever  a  ruler  is  subject  to  the  law,  his 
power  is  of  precarious  tenure. 

Sat.  Nay,  rather,  where  neither  modesty  nor  re- 
spect for  the  law  or  gods,  piety  nor  faith,  hold 
sway,  there  power  is  unstable. 

Atr.  My  opinion  is,  that  respect  for  the  gods, 
piety  and  faith  are  merely  virtues  of  men  in  pri- 
vate stations.  Let  kings  be  unshackled  in  their 
authority. 

A  BAD  BROTHER  NOT  TO  BE  INJURED. 

Consider  it  impious  to  injure  even  a  bad  brother. 

So  Genesis  xiii.  8: — 

"  And  Abram  said  unto  Lot,  Let  there  be  no  strife,  I  pray 
thee,  between  me  and  tbee,  and  between  my  herdmen  and 
thy  herdmen  ;  for  we  be  brethren." 

THE  YOUNG  EASILY  PERVERTED. 

The  young  readily  listen  to  evil  counsels;  they  <• 
will  practise  against  you,  their  father,  what  you    \ 
have  taught  them  against  their  uncle.     Crimes 
have  recoiled  on  those  who  gave  the  first  lesson. 

So  Psalm  cxvi.  10  :— 

"Let  the  wicked  fall  into  their  own  nets,  whilst  that  I 
withal  escape." 


506  SENECA. 

HOW  SILENCE  IS   TAUGHT. 

Silence  is  taught  by  many  misfortunes  in  life. 

A  COUNTENANCE  BETRAYING  FEAB. 

A  countenance  full  of  fear  usually  betrays  many 
crimes. 

GREAT   COUNSELS   BETRAYED  BY  THE   COUN- 
TENANCE. 

Great  counsels  betray  even  the  man  who  is  un- 
willing that  his  plans  should  be  discovered. 

IT   IS   THE   MIND   THAT   GIVES   A   KINGDOM. 

An  honest  heart  possesses  a  kingdom. 
Percy's  "  Reliques  of  English  Poetry  "  (vol.  i.  p.  307):— 
"  My  mind  to  me  a  kingdom  is, 

Such  perfect  joy  therein  I  find, 
As  far  exceeds  all  earthly  bliss, 

That  God  and  nature  hath  assign'd. 
Though  much  I  want  that  most  would  have, 
Yet  still  my  mind  forbids  to  crave." 

RETIREMENT   TO   BE   PREFERRED. 

He  is  a  king  who  is  subject  to  neither  fears  nor 
desires.  Every  one  can  confer  this  on  himself. 
Let  whosoever  chooses  walk  along  the  slippery 
paths  of  the  court,  I  prefer  peaceful  repose,  and, 
resigned  to  the  obscurity  of  a  humble  life,  shall 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  retirement. 

WHO   LIVES    FOR   OTHERS,  NOT    FOR   HIMSELF. 

Death  broods  heavily  over  the  man  who  dies 
more  known  to  others  than  to  himself. 

THE   GIVER   TO   BE   LOOKED   AT. 

While  you  look  at  what  is  given,  look  also  at 
the  giver. 


SENECA.  507 

THE  POOR  ENJOY  A  SECURE    KEPAST. 

What  pleasure  it  is  to  stand  in  the  way  of  no 
one,  to  be  able  to  enjoy  a  secure  repast!  Crimes 
do  not  enter  into  the  cottages  of  the  poor;  we  may 
eat  our  food  with  safety  on  an  humble  table; 
poison  is  quaffed  from  golden  cups.  I  speak  from 
experience:  an  obscure  life  is  preferable  to  one 
spent  in  a  high  station. 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  -  .  1092,  M.)  says:— 
"  No  one  is  more  fortunate  than  the  poor  man  :  he  has  no 
change  for  the  worse  to  look  for." 

BROTHERLY    AFFECTION. 

'  Affection  usually  returns  whence  it  has  been 
removed,  and  love  that  is  just  repairs  its  lost 
strength. 


It  is  too  late  to  be  on  our  guard  when  we  are  in 
the  midst  of  misfortunes. 

So  Genesis  xli.  9: — 

"  I  do  remember  my  faults  this  day."  « 

AFFECTION. 

There  is  no  power  greater  than  true  affection. 

TRUE    AFFECTION. 

Whomsoever  true  affection  has  possessed,  it  will 
continue  to  possess. 

TO-MORROW. 

Nobody  has  ever  found  the  gods  so  much  his 
friend  that  he  can  promise  himself  another  day. 

LOVE  OF  LIFE. 

That  man  must  be  enamoured  of  life,  who  is  not 
willing  to  -die  when  the  world  reaches  its  last  day. 


508  SEX  EC  A. 

THE   MISEUAHLE. 

This  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  wretched,  that 
they  can  never  believe  that  happiness  will  last. 
Even  though  good  fortune  returns,  yet  they  re- 
joice in  fear  and  trembling. 

PASSIONS  ENCOURAGED  BY  YIELDING. 

He  who  has  fostered  the  sweet  poison  of  love  by 
fondling  it,  finds  it  too  late  to  refuse  the  yoke 
which  he  has  of  his  own  accord  assumed. 

PANGS  OF  A  GUILTY  CONSCIENCE  ABE  NEVER   AT 
REST. 

What  never-ending  pain  are  the  pangs  of  a 
guilty  conscience,  a  mind  o'erburdened  with 
crimes,  and  fearful  of  itself?  Some  may  sin  with- 
out suffering  from  man,  none  may  do  so  and  feel 
secure. 

Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VI.."  Part  III.,  act  v.  sc.  6): — 
"Suspicion  always  haunts  the  guilty  mind; 
The  thief  doth  fear  each  bush  an  officer. " 

WHAT   PASSION  CAUSES. 

Passion  forces  man  to  follow  the  worse  course. 
His  mind  knowingly  leads  him  to  a  precipice  and 
again  draws  back,  in  vain  desiring  what  is  good. 

THE  PROSPEROUS. 

Whoever  is  too  proud  of  his  prosperous  circum- 
stances and  abounds  in  luxury,  is  always  desirous 
of  what  is  unusual. 

THE    GREAT   IN   POWER. 

The  high  in  power  are  often  desirous  of  Impos- 
sibilities. 


SENECA.  509 

A   REMEDY. 

It  is  some  part  of  a  cure  to  feel  a  desire  to  be 
cured. 

KEPORT. 

Report  seldom  adheres  to  the  truth,  favorable  to  | 
the  man  who  deserves  the  worst  and  unfavorable  , 
to  the  good. 

THE   COUNTENANCE   BETRAYS   THE   FEELINGS. 

Angry  feelings  are  betrayed  by  the  countenance, 
though  they  are  concealed. 

MODES   OF  DEATH. 

How  many  kinds  of  death  hurry  off  and  gradu- 
ally destroy  mankind — the  sea,  the  sword,  and 
treachery !    But  say  we  were  not  subject  to  these 
laws  of  fate,  yet  of  ourselves  we  hasten  to  our 
life's  end,  to  the  dark  shades  of  Styx. 
Massinger  ("  A  Very  Woman,"  act  v.  sc.  4)  says:— 
"  Death  hath  a  thousand  doors  to  let  out  life, 
I  shall  find  one." 

THE   ADVANTAGES   OF   A   COUNTRY   LIFE. 

There  is  no  mode  of  life  more  independent  and 
free  from  vice,  following  more  closely  the  ancient 
manners,  than  that  which,  abandoning  cities,  loves 
the  woodlands. 

THE   HAPPY  LIFE   OF   THE   LOWLY. 

A  more  undisturbed  sleep  attends  the  man  who  r 
reclines  securely  on  a  hard  couch. 

A  BAD    EXAMPLE. 

No  wickedness  has  been  without  a  precedent.    *""— 


510  SENECA. 

A  TIMID  BEGGAR  COURTS  A  DENIAL. 

•  He  who  begs  timorously  courts  a  refusal. 
i 

SUCCESSFUL  CKIMES. 

Success  gilds  some  crimes  with  an  honorable 
title. 

Ben  Jonson  says:— 

"  Let  them  call  it  mischief; 
When  it  is  past  and  prospered  'twill  be  virtue." 
And  Thomson: — 
"  It  is  success  that  colors  all  in  life. 

Success  makes  fools  admir'd,  makes  villains  honest." 
"Nation  "  newspaper: — 
"  Where  crime  is  crowned,  where  guilt  is  glory." 

LIGHT   GRIEFS. 

Trifling  annoyances  find  utterance,  deeply-felt 
pangs  are  dumb. 

Sponsor  in  his  "  Faerie  Queen  "  (i.  7,  41)  thus  expresses  the 
same  idea: — 

"  '  Oh!  but,'  quoth  she,  '  great  grief  will  not  be  told, 
""*•       And  can  more  easily  be  thought  than  said.'  " 
And  Byron  ("The  Corsair,"  cant.  iii.  st.  22): — 

"  No  words  suffice  the  secret  soul  to  show, 
For  truth  denies  all  eloquence  to  woe." 
In  the  Hesperus  (12)  of  Franz  Paul  Richter  is  found  the  fol- 
lowing beautiful  paragraph:— 

"  For  those  wounds  which  can  be  disclosed  are  not  deep: 
that  grief  which  a  man's  friendly  eye  can  discover,  a  soft 
hand  alleviate,  is  but  small;  but  the  woe  which  a  friend  must 
not  see,  because  he  cannot  take  it  away— that  woe  which 
sometimes  rises  into  our  eye  in  the  midst  of  blessedness,  in 
the  form  of  sudden  trickle,  which  the  averted  face  smothers 
— this  hangs  in  secret  more  and  more  heavily  on  the  heart, 
and  at  last*breaks  it  and  goes  down  with  it  under  the  healing 
sod ;  so  are  iron  balls  tied  to  man,  when  he  dies  on  the  sea, 
and  they  sink  with  him  more  quickly  into  his  vast  grave." 


SENECA.  511 

Wilhelm  von  Humboldt  (Lett.  ii.  18)  has  the  same  idea:— 

"  The  sorrow  which  calls  for  help  is  not  the  greatest,  nor 
does  it  come  from  the  depths  of  the  heart." 

Thucydides  (vii.  75)  in  his  description  of  the  sorrowful  de- 
parture of  the  Athenian  forces  from  Syracuse  uses  the  ex- 
pressions:— "Having  suffered  greater  sorrows  than  can  be 
expressed  by  tears,"  which  is  sorrow  but  resembling  what 
Herodotus  (iii.  14)  says  of  the  woes  of  Psammenitus :  "  Greater 
woes  than  tears  can  express." 

This  is  thus  paraphrased  by  Bode : — 

'.'  The  sad  philosophy  of  grief, 

Taught  in  misfortune's  school. 
Hails  the  eye's  dew  a  sweet  relief, 
The  burning  heart  to  cool. 

"  For  common  sorrows  tears  may  flow, 

Like  these  that  stain  my  cheek; 
But,  prince,  there  is  a  depth  of  woe, 
That  tears  can  never  speak. 

"  To  see  my  comrade's  cheerless  state, 

The  friend  of  happier  years, 
I  weep— but  oh !  rny  children's  fate 
Lies  all  too  deep  for  tears. 

"  Far  in  the  heart's  most  secret  shrine, 

Those  springs  of  sorrow  sleep: 
Who  bends  'neath  woes  as  dark  as  mine 
Must  grieve— he  cannot  weep." 

Shakespeare  describes  silent  grief  forcibly  when  he  says  in 
"Winter's  Tale":— 

"  There  is  a  grief  which  burns 
Worse  than  tears  drown." 

And  Ford's  "  Broken  Heart  ": — 

"  They  are  the  silent  griefs  that  cut  the  heart-strings." 
Talfourd  gives  an  echo  of  this  in  "  Ion  ":— 

"  They  are  the  silent  sorrows  that  touch  nearest." 

EXORMOU.S   WICKEDNESS. 

What  waters  of  the  Don  "will  cleanse  me  ?  or 
what  sea  of  Asoph  with  its  barharous  waters 


612  SENECA. 

bending  over  the  Black  Sea  ?  Not  Neptune  him- 
self with  his  multitudinous  waters  will  be  able  to 
expiate  such  wickedness. 

CRIME. 

One  crime  has  to  be  concealed  by  another. 

BEAUTY. 

Beauty,  a  doubtful  good  to  man,  the  fleeting 
gift  of  a  short-lived  hour,  how  swiftly  dost  thou 
flit  away !  Not  so  quickly  do  the  hot  rays  of  sum- 
mer despoil  the  fresh  meadows  of  the  green  with 
•  which  the  late  spring  has  clothed  them,  when  the 
meridian  sun  rages  at  the  solstice,  and  short 
nights  wheel  rapidly  past,  when  the  pale  lilies 
languish  and  the  sweet  rose  droops,  not  so  quickly, 
I  say,  as  beauty,  which  beams  from  tender  cheeks, 
vanishes,  from  which  every  day  steals  some  spoil 
away.  Beauty  is  a  fleeting  joy;  what  wise  man 
would  place  his  trust  in  such  a  frail  toy  ?  Whilst 
thou  mayest,  enjoy  it.  Time,  with  silent  march, 
will  undermine  thee,  and  each  succeeding  hour  is 
worse  than  what  is  past. 

Shakespeare  in  his  poem  entitled  "  The  Passionate  Pilgrim  " 
(st.  11)  thus  speaks  of  Beauty: — 

"  Beauty  is  but  a  vain  and  doubtful  good, 
A  shining  gloss  that  fadeth  suddenly. 
A  flower  that  dies,  when  first  it  'gins  to  bud, 

A  brittle  glass  that's  broken  presently. 
A  doubtful  good,  a  gloss,  a  glass,  a  flower, 
Lost,  faded,  broken,  dead,  within  an  hour." 

SECRECY. 

If  you  would  wish  another  to  keep  your  secret, 
first  keep  it  yourself. 


SENECA.  513 

THE   HUMBLE. 

Fortune  rages  less  against  the  lowly,  and  heaven 
strikes  with  gentle  hand  the  humble. 

THE   SWIFTNESS   OF  TIME. 

The  swift  hour  flies  on  double  wings. 

DEATH  AND   LIFE. 

Any  one  may  take  life  from  man,  but  no  one 
death :  a  thousand  gates  stand  open  to  it. 

So  1  Samuel  xx.  3: — 

"  There  is  but  a  step  between  me  and  death." 

ENDURE   RATHER  THAN   COMMIT   WICKEDNESS. 

When  it  is  necessary  to  deceive  or  to  be  deceived 
by  our  friends,  we  should  endure  rather  than  com- 
mit wickedness. 

So  Matthew  v.  39:— 

"But  I  say  unto  you,  That' ye  resist  not  evil ;  but  whoso- 
ever shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the 
other  also." 

SLAVERY. 

To  sink  from  a  throne  into  slavery  is  misery. 

WAR. 
The  fortune  of  war  is  always  doubtful. 

A   GOVERNMENT   HATED. 

A  government  that  is  hated  seldom  lasts.     * — 

FORTUNE. 

It  is  not  manly  to  turn  our  back  on  Fortune. 


514  SENECA. 

THE  UNCERTAINTIES  OF  LIFE. 

When  the  joyful  mingled  with  the  sad  leaves  us 
in  doubt,  the  uncertain  mind,  when  it  desires  to 
know,  is  overwhelmed  with  fear. 

THE   AFFLICTED. 

He  who  offers  doubtful  safety  to  the  afflicted  re- 
fuses it. 

THE   BLIND. 

A  great  part  of  what  is  real  is  concealed  from 
the  man,  who  is  blind. 

DESPERATE  MISFORTUNES. 

Evils  that  are  desperate  usually  make  men  safe. 

THE   POWER   OF   SILENCE. 

The  power  of  silence  is  often  more  injurious  to 
a  king  and  his  kingdom  than  even  the  use  of  lan- 
guage. 

MODERATION   TO    BE    SHOWN    BY    THOSE    WHO    AS- 
PIRE TO   SUPREME   POWER. 

To  the  man  who  aspires  to  supreme  power,  it  is 
the  wisest  policy  to  show  himself  enamoured  of 
moderation,  and  to  speak  of  nothing  but  the 
pleasure  of  quiet  retirement.  Rest  is  often  as- 
sumed by  the  restless. 

VAIN  FEARS. 

He,  who  dreads  vain  fears,  deserves  those  that 
are  real. 

TERROR    IS   THE   PROPER    GUARD    OF    A    KINGDOM. 

I    He,  who  dreads  hatred  too  much,  knows  not 

'    f 


SENECA.  5iu 

how  to  reign.    Terror  is  the  proper  guard  of  a  , 
kingdom. 

LET  BYGONES   BE   BYGONES. 

Leave  in  concealment  what  has  long  been  con- 
cealed. 

THE   TRUTH. 

Truth  hates  any  delay  in  its  disclosure. 

EXCESS   HAS   AN   UNSTABLE   FOUNDATION. 

Everything  that  exceeds  the  bounds  of  modera- 
tion has  an  unstable  foundation. 

SUFFERINGS   OF   MANKIND   FROM  ON  HIGH. 

Whatever  mankind  suffers  or  does,  comes  from 
on  high. 

WHAT  AWAITS  MAN. 

Many  have  reached  their  fated  end,  while  they 
are  dreading  their  fate. 

GUILT. 
Nobody  becomes  guilty  by  fate.    — •    - 

SORROW. 
There  is  no  day  without  sorrow. 

MODERATION  MAKES  A  THRONE  STAND  SURE. 

We  must  first  learn  that  whatever  the  conqueror 
chooses  to  do,  to  that  the  conquered  must  submit. 
No  one  has  long  maintained  power,  if  exercised 
with  violence;  moderation  ensures  its  continu- 
ance; and  the  higher  Fortune  has  lifted  and  placed 
the  power  of  man,  the  more  ought  he  to  conceal 


516  SENECA. 

his  happiness,  to  dread  the  turns  of  chance,  ever 
fearing  that  heaven  may  be  too  propitious.  I  have 
learnt  that  in  a  moment  the  greatest  state  may  be 
brought  low  by  conquest. 

.  A  CRIME. 

He,  who  does  not  prevent  a  crime,  when  it  is  in 
his  power,  encourages  it. 

So  1  Timothy  v.  30:— 

"Them  that  sin  rebuke  before  all,  that  others  also  may 
fear." 

MERCY  SOMETIMES  IN  GIVING  DEATH. 

•••  Mercy  is  often  shown  in  inflicting  death. 

A  KING. 

A  king  ought  to  prefer  the  good  of  his  country 
to  that  of  his  children. 

MORAL  FEELINGS. 

Man  is  restrained  by  moral  feelings  from  doing 
that  against  which  there  may  be  no  legal  enact- 
ment. 

So  Matthew  T.  8:— 

"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart:  for  they  shall  see  God." 

HOW  GREAT  POWER  OUGHT  TO  BE  USED. 

One  who  possesses  great  power,  ought  to  use  it 
with  gentle  hand. 

DOES  THE  SOUL  PERISH  WITH  THE  BODY? 

Is  it  a  truth?  or  fiction  binds 

Our  fearful  mind? 
That  when  to  earth  we  bodies  give, 

Souls  yet  to  live? 
That  when  the  wife  hath  closed  with  cries 

The  husband's  eyes, 


SENECA.  51V 

When  the  last  fatal  day  of  light 

Hath  spoil' d  our  sight, 
And  when,  to  dust  and  ashes  turn'd, 

Our  bones  are  urn'd — 
Souls  stand  yet  in  no  need  at  all 

Of  funeral, 
But  that  a  longer  life  with  pain 

They  still  retain? 
Or  die  we  quite  ?  nor  aught  we  have 

Survives  the  grave  ?  . 

When  like  to  smoke  unmix' d  with  skies 

The  spirit  flies ; 
And  funeral  tapers  are  applied 

To  the  naked  side. 
As  smoke,  which  springs  from  fire,  is  soon 

Dispersed  and  gone ; 
Or  clouds  which  we  but  now  beheld, 

By  winds  dispell'd; 
The  spirit,  which  informs  this  clay, 

So  fleets  away. 
Nothing  is  after  death;  and  this, 

Too,  nothing  is: 
The  goal  or  the  extremest  space 

Of  a  swift  race. 
The  covetous  their  hopes  forbear; 

The  sad,  their  fear. 
Ask'st  thou,  whene'er  thou  com'st  to  die, 

Where  thou  shalt  lie  '? 
Where  lie  the  unborn?    Away,  time  rakes  us, 

Then  chaos  takes  us. 
Death's  individual:  like  kind 

To  body  or  mind. 
Whate'er  of  Tsenarus  they  sing, 

And  hell's  fierce  king, 
How  Cerberus  still  guards  the  port 

O'  th'  Stygian  court; 


618  SENECA. 

All  are  but  idle  rumors  found, 

And  empty  sound; 
Like  the  vain  fears  of  melancholy, 

Dreams  and  fabulous  folly. 

TO  FEAB. 

It  is  the  worst  of  ills  still  to  fear  when  hope  has 
left  us. 

NOBILITY. 

High  rank,  a  heavy  burden,  weighs  him  down. 

THE  FIRST  CHARGE. 

The  first  charge  of  the  victor's  fury  is  the  worst. 

GKIEF. 

Grief  is  an  unjust  valuer  of  things. 

FEAR  OF   DEATH. 

Death,  when  brought  near,  puts  an  end  to  vaunt- 
ing words. 

NECESSITY. 

Necessity  has  greater  power  than  affection. 

TBUTH. 

^    Truth  never  perishes. 

So  Matthew  xxiv.  35: — 

"  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  shall 
not  pass  a  way." 

IMPRESSIONS     ONCE    MADE     ARE     NOT     EASILY 
ERASED. 

The  mind  is  slow  to  unlearn  what  it  has  been 
long  in  learning. 

"  It  is  not  easy  to  straighten  in  the  oak  the  crook  that  grew 
'    in  the  sapling." 


SENECA.  519 

TO  EXTEND  OTTB    CHAItlTY  TO    THE  MISEEABLE. 

Whatever  we  give  to  the  wretched,  we  lend  to 
fortune. 

GEIEF. 

Great  grief  does  not  of  itself  put  an  end  to  itself. 

TO   DIE   WITHOUT   FEAR    OF   DEATH  IS   DESIRABLE. 

To  die  without  fear  of  death  is  to  be  desired. 

TO   BE   COMPELLED    TO   COMMIT   A   CRIME. 

The  guilt  of  enforced  crimes  lies  on  those  who 
impose  them. 

SLAVERY. 

I  am  ashamed  of  the  master,  not  of  servitude.  •— 

XONE   MISERABLE    BUT    BY   COMPARISON. 

Nobody  refuses  to  submit  to  the  fate  to  which 
all  are  subject.  In  a  common  woe  no  one  thinks 
himself  unfortunate,  though  he  be  so.  Take 
hence  the  happy,  lay  the  rich  aside,  remove  those 
who  plough  wide  fields  with  a  hundred  oxen,  the 
poor  will  raise  their  drooping  heads.  There  is  no 
one  miserable  except  by  comparison.  To  those 
who  are  seated  amidst  the  ruins  of  their  fortune, 
it  is  pleasant  to  see  none  wearing  a  cheerful  look. 

THE   MOB. 

Most  of  the  giddy  vulgar  hate  the  act  they  come 
to  see. 

THE   MOB. 

The  vulgar  stand  in  stupid  amazement,  and 
almost  all  praise  most  those  things  they  are  going 
to  lose. 


520  SENECA. 

THE    BRA.VE. 

All  are  moved  by  the  brave  spirit,  ready  to  face 
death. 

ANGER  CONCEALED  IS    DANGEROUS. 

Resentment  concealed  is  dangerous;  hatred 
avowed  loses  the  opportunity  of  revenge. 

THE  GBIEF  IS   SLIGHT  WHICH  CAN  TAKE  COUNSEL. 

The  grief  is  slight  which  can  take  counsel  and 
conceal  itself;  great  evils  cannot  be  hid. 

FORTUNE   TRAMPLES  ON  THE  COWARD. 

Med.  Fortune  fears  the  valiant,  but  tramples  on 
the  coward. 

Nurse.  Then  valor  is  to  be  approved  of  when 
there  is  room  for  its  display. 

Med.  There  is  always  room  for  valor. 

Nurse.  Hope  points  out  no  path  in  adverse  cir- 
cumstances. 

Med.  He  who  hopes  nothing,  should  despair  of 
nothing. 

So  Luke  x.  36,  37:— 

"Which  now  of  these  three,  thinkest  thou,  was  neighbor 
unto  him  that  fell  among  the  thieves?  And  he  said,  He  that 
showed  mercy  on  him." 

FORTUNE. 

Fortune  may  deprive  us  of  wealth,  but  not  of  a 
firm  mind. 

So  Matthew  vi.  20:— 

"  But  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  where 
neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt." 

A  JUDGE. 

If  thou  be  a  judge,  investigate;  if  thou  be  a 
ruler,  command. 


SENECA.  521 

POWER  FOUNDED  ON  INJUSTICE. 

A  kingdom  founded  on  injustice  never  lasts  for-  \ 
ever. 

So  Isaiah  xxxii.  1 : — 

"Behold  a  king  shall  reign  in  righteousness,  and  princes 
shall  rule  in  judgment." 

HEAB    THE    OTHER   SIDE. 

He  who  decides  a  question  without  hearing  the 
other  side,  though  he  decide  with  justice,  cannot 
be  considered  just. 

This  is  probably  the  origin  of  the  common  expression, 
"  Audiatur  et  altera  pars." 

THE   PREROGATIVE    OF   KINGS. 

This  noble  and  grand  prerogative  kings  possess,  ! 
of  which  they  cannot  be  deprived,  to  aid  the  un-  ( 
fortunate  and  protect  the  suppliant. 

THE   BAD. 

No  time  is  too  short  for  the  wicked  to  injure 
their  neighbors. 

TRUE   LOVE. 

True  love  can  be  afraid  of  no  one. 

So  2  Timothy  i.  7:— 

"  For  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear;  but  of  power, 
and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind." 

THE      POWERFUL     NOT     TO     BE      ATTACKED    WITH 
SAFETY. 

None  can  with  safety  attack  the  powerful. 

A  DESPOT'S  WRATH. 
The  wrath  of  kings  is  heavy.     ... 


\ 


522  SENECA. 

THE  GAINER  IS  THE  AUTHOR  OF  THE  ILL. 

He  who  profits  by  the  villany,  is  the  author  of 
it. 

This  is  the  "  Cui  bono  ? "  of  Cassius:— 
"  The  receiver  is  as  bad  as  the  thief." 

THE   GUILTT. 

Let  that  man  be  innocent  in  thy  eyes  who  does 
commit  a  crime  in  thy  defence. 

THE    MISFORTUNES   OF   KINGS. 

Fortune  turns  on  her  wheel  the  fates  of  kings. 

THE  COURTS  OF  KINGS. 

Laws  and  modesty  and  the  sacred  pledge  of 
wedlock  fly  from  royal  courts. 

THE   GOLDEN  MEAN. 

The  higher  the  pinnacle  to  which  fortune  raises 
man,  he  falls  with  a  heavier  crash.  Things  mod- 
erate are  of  longer  duration.  Happy  the  man  who 
quietly,  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  passes  along 
the  shore  with  a  safe  breeze,  and,  fearful  to  trust 
his  bark  to  the  sea,  hugs  the  shore. 

MODESTY  NEVER  RETURNS. 

Pure  morals,  justice,  honor,  piety,  and  faith 
have  disappeared,  and  modesty,  which  never  re- 
turns, when  it  has  once  gone. 

ONE   CRIME   LEADS  TO   ANOTHER. 

The  sure  way  to  wickedness  is  always  through 
wickedness. 

TIME   OFTEN  HEALS. 

Time  often  heals  what  reason  cannot. 


SENECA.  52S 

EXTREME    REMEDIES. 

No  one  has  eyer  tried  extreme  remedies  in  the 
first  place. 

REPENTANCE  NEVER  TOO  LATE. 

It  is  never  too  late  to  turn  from  the  error  of  our 

ways  : 
He  who  repents  of  his  sins  is  almost  innocent. 

So  Matthew  xx.  6,  7:— 

"And  about  the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out,  and  found 
others  standing  idle,  and  saith  unto  them,  Why  stand  ye  here 
all  the  day  idle  ?  They  say  unto  him,  Because  no  man  hath 
hired  us.  He  saith  unto  them,  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard." 

And  1  John  i.  9: — 

"  If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive 
us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness." 

THE    COURT. 

Faith  never  enters  within  the  threshold  of  kings. 

FIDELITY. 

Fidelity  that  is  bought  with  money  may  be 
overcome  by  money. 


Every  delay,  however  trifling,  seems  too  long  to 
a  man  in  haste. 

DEATH. 
Fear  of  death  drives  the  wretched  to  prayer. 

CARES.* 
Those  whom  secret  cares  torment  suffer  most. 

PROSPERITY. 

Prosperity  asks  for  fidelity,  but  adversity  im-, 
peratively  demands  it. 


524  SENECA. 

DEATH. 

That  tyrant  is  foolish  who  inflicts  death  as  a 
punishment. 

El.  Is  there  anything  beyond  death  ? 
Life,  if  you  desire  to  die. 


MISERY   OF   DEATH. 

He  is  equal  to  the  gods  whose  life  and  fortune 
close  at  the  same  moment;  he  feels  the  misery  of 
death  whose  life  is  protracted  amidst  misery. 
Whosoever  has  trampled  under  foot  Fate  and  the 
boat  of  Charon,  will  not  allow  his  arms  to  be 
bound  in  chains,  nor  to  be  led  in  triumph.  That 
man  can  never  be  miserable,  who  finds  it  easy  to 
die. 

DEATH. 

O  Death!  thou  followest  the  happy  and  fliest 
the  wretched. 

Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  512,  M.)  says:  — 
"  No  one  ever,  O  master,  being  anxious  to  die  has  died,  but 
those  who  are  eager  to  live  Charon  drags  by  the  legs  unwill- 
ingly to  his  ferry-boat,  and  carries  them  off  in  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  all  the  good  things  of  life.  But  hunger  is  the  means 
to  induce  a  man  to  gain  immortality." 

VICISSITUDES. 

Happy  the  man  who  can  endure  the  highest  and 
N.       the  lowest  fortune.     He,  who  has  endured  such 
vicissitudes  with  equanimity,  has  deprived  mis- 
fortune of  its  power. 

THINGS   UNLAWFUL   ARE   PREFEEEED. 

What  is  unlawful  is  preferred;  whatever  one 
may  do  is  little  cared  for.  Misfortune  only  in- 
flames love  the  more. 


SENECA.  525 

Moore  says:— 

"  Bliss  itself  is  not  worth  having 
If  we're  by  compulsion  blest." 

ANGER   OF   THE   GODS. 

Those  whom  the  anger  of  Heaven  attacks  it  ren- 
ders miserable. 

So  Romans  i.  18: — 

"  For  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  heaven  against  all 
ungodliness." 

THE   SPLENDOR   OF   A   COURT. 

Few  pay  homage  to  kings  and  not  to  their 
power.  It  is  the  splendors  of  a  court  that  excite 
the  desires  of  most. 

THE   BREASTS   OF   THE   RICH. 

Golden  palaces  break  man's  rest,  and  purple 
robes  cause  watchful  nights.  Oh,  if  the  breasts  of 
the  rich  could  be  seen  into,  what  terrors  high  fort- 
une places  within! 

THE  POOR. 
The  poor  lives  securely. 

THE  PROSPEROUS. 

When  God  has  once  begun  to  throw  down  the 
prosperous,  He  overthrows  them  altogether:  such 
is  the  end  of  the  mighty. 

THE   WRETCHED. 

The  wretched  hasten  to  hear  of  their  own  mis- 
eries. 

THE  GUILTY. 

He  is  not  guilty  who  is  not  guilty  voluntarily. — 


526  SENECA. 

DEATH. 

Sometimes  death  is  a  punishment,  but  often  a 
gift :  it  has  been  a  matter  of  favor  to  many. 

VIRTUE. 

Virtue  advances  to  heaven,  fear  to  death. 

THE  SHADE  OF  A  GREAT  NAME. 

Preserved  for  grief  alone,  I  remain  the  shade  of 
a  great  name. 

FORTUNE. 

Why,  O  Fortune,  did  you  allure  me  on  by  your 
deceitful  countenance,  and  raise  me  aloft  when  I 
was  satisfied  with  my  own  humble  lot?  Was  it 
that  I  might  fall  with  a  heavier  crash,  and  be  the 
subject  of  many  fears? 

THE  VICES  OF  PAST  AGES. 

IThe  vices  collected  through  so  many  ages  for  a 
long  time  past  flow  in  upon  us. 

FATHER  OF  HIS  COUNTRY. 

It  is  higher  praise  for  the  father  of  his  country 
to  preserve  his  fellow-citizens. 

THE   INDOLENT. 

It  is  the  act  of  the  indolent  not  to  know  what 
he  may  lawfully  do.  It  is  praiseworthy  to  do 
what  is  becoming,  and  not  merely  what  is  lawful. 

"Do  not  all  you  can,  spend  not  all  you  have;  believe  not 
all  you  hear;  and  tell  not  all  you  know." 

FAITH. 

The  sword  protects  the  prince. 
Sen.  Faith  better. 


SENECA.  527 

HIGHEST  VIRTUE. 

It  is  honorable  to  excel  amongst  illustrious  men, 
to  consult  for  the  good  of  one's  country,  to  spare 
the  afflicted,  to  refrain  from  savage  slaughter  and 
anger,  to  give  peace  to  the  world.  This  is  the 
highest  virtue :  by  this  heaven  is  reached. 

THE   VIRTUES   OF  THE   MIND. 

The  virtues  of  the  mind  and  soul,  subject  to  no 
one,  alone  remains  forever. 

THE   NOBLE. 

The  people  always  require  the  best  example  to 
be  set  by  the  noblest  in  station. 

THE  MOB. 

That  government  is  ill  conducted,  when  the  mob 
rules  its  leaders. 

THE   FAVOR  OF  THE   MOB. 

Fatal  and  cruel  has  been  the  favor  of  the  people 
to  many ! 

THE   POOR   AND   THE   RICH. 

Contented  poverty  lies  hid  happily  in  an  humble 
cottage.  Storms  shake  often,  or  Fortune  over- 
turns lofty  palaces. 

THE   COUNTENANCE   BETRAYS   THE   PASSIONS. 

Nor  am  I  ignorant  that  other  affections  also  are 
scarcely  concealed — that  lust,  fear,  and  boldness 
show  themselves,  and  may  be  known  beforehand. 
For  there  is  no  strong  inward  thought  that  does 
not  betray  itself  in  the  countenance. 

So  Roman's  xii.  19: — 

"  Dearly  beloved,  avenge  not  yourselves,  but  rather  give 


528  SENECA. 

place  unto  wrath:  for  it  is  written,  Vengeance  is  mine;  I  will 
repay,  saith  the  Lord." 

MAN   BORN  TO   ASSIST  EACH  OTHEB. 

Man  has  been  born  to  assist  each  other. 

THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THINGS. 

The  beginnings  of  some  things  are  in  our  power; 
those  that  are  farther  from  us  hurry  us  forward  by 
their  own  force,  and  allow  no  return. 

THE   SINNEK. 

He,  who  has  committed  a  fault,  is  to  be  corrected 
both  by  advice  and  by  force,  kindly  and  harshly, 
and  to  be  made  better  for  himself  as  well  as  for 
another,  not  without  chastisement,  but  without 
passion. 

WHAT  HAS   GROWN  WITHOUT  FOUNDATION. 

The  things  that  have  grown  up  without  founda- 
'tion,  are  ready  to  sink  in  ruin. 

LIFE  IS  LIKE   A  SCHOOL  OF  GLADIATORS. 

Life  is  like  a  school  of  gladiators,  where  men 
\  live  and  fight  with  each  other. 

MAN  SUBJECT  TO  DISEASES  OF  THE  MIND  AS  WELL 
AS   OF   THE    BODY. 

We  have  been  born  under  these  conditions,  that 
we  should  be  animals  liable  to  no  fewer  diseases 
of  the  mind  than  of  the  body. 

FEAR. 
He  must  necessarily  fear  many,  whom  many  fear. 


SENECA.  -S29 

THE  POWER  OF  THE  HUMAN  MIND. 

There  is  nothing  so  difficult  and  arduous,  which 
the  mind  of  man  does  not  overcome,  and  which 
continued  meditation  does  not  bring  into  familiar- 
ity. 

PERSEVERANCE. 

An  obstinate  resolution  gets  the  better  of  every 
obstacle,  and  shows  that  there  is  no  difficulty  to 
him  who  has  resolved  to  be  patient. 

A  HAPPY  LIFE. 

The  path  leading  to  a  happy  life  is  easy :  only 
enter  upon  it  boldly  with  the  favor  of  the  gods. 

So  Psalm  xxv.  10:— 

"  All  the  paths  of  the  Lord  are  mercy  and  truth." 

TIIE   EDUCATION   OF  THE   YOUNG. 

Education  requires  great  diligence,  which  will 
be  very  profitable.  For  it  is  an  easy  matter  to 
fashion  tender  minds;  evil  habits  are  with  diffi- 
culty rooted  out,  which  have  grown  up  with  our 
growth. 

A  LITTLE  PLEASURE. 

Moderate  pleasure  relaxes  the  spirit  and  moder- 
ates it. 

NATURE. 

It  is  difficult  to  change  nature.  ~ 

TRUTH. 

Time  discovers  ti  uth. 

FALSE   THINGS. 

Some  things  false  bear  the  appearance  of  truth. 
34 


530  SENECA. 

ANGER. 

What  is  more  mad  than  to  vent  the  wrath  which 
has  been  collected  against  men  on  things  devoid 
of  sense  ? 

MAN    NOT    THE    CAUSE    OF    THE     REVOLUTION     OF 
SUMMER   AND   WINTER. 

For  we  are  not  the  cause  why  summer  and  win- 
ter return  in  regular  succession:  these  seasons 
have  their  own  laws,  and  have  their  order  ar- 
ranged by  heaven. 

INNOCENCE. 

What  a  slight  foundation  for  innocence  it  is,  to 
be  good  only  from  fear  of  the  law ! 

So  Romans  xiii.  10: — 

"  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law." 

VICES   OF   OTHEKS. 

Other  men's  sins  are  before  our  eyes;  our  own, 
behind  our  back. 

MEN  ANGRY  WITH  THE  SINNER,  NOT  WITH  THE  SIN. 

The  greater  part  of  mankind  are  angry  with  the 
-sinner  and  not  with  the  sin. 

TIME. 

Time  is  the  greatest  remedy  for  anger. 

PUNISHMENT  LOOKS  TO  THE  FUTURE. 

We  will  not  punish  a  man  because  he  hath  of- 
fended, but  that  he  may  offend  no  more;  nor  does 
punishment  ever  look  to  the  past,  but  to  the  fu- 
ture; for  it  is  not  the  result  of  passion,  but  that 
the  same  thing  may  be  guarded  against  in  future. 


SENECA.  531 

REVENGE. 

Revenge  is  an  inhuman  word. 

So  Deuteronomy  xxxii.  35:— 

"  To  me  belongeth  vengeance  and  recompence." 

THINGS   CONTRARY   TO   HOPE. 

We  are  most  affected  by  those  things  which 
have  happened  contrary  to  hope  and  expectation. 

TO   DISSEMBLE. 

It  has  often  been  better  to  pretend  not  to  see  an 
insult  than  to  avenge  one's  self. 

HATRED. 

Those  minds,  whom  fortune  hath  made  insolent, 
have  this  bad  quality,  that  they  hate  those  whom 
they  have  harmed. 

IT  REQUIRES  TWO   SIDES  FOB  A  QUARREL. 

A  quarrel  is  quickly  settled  when  deserted  by 
the  one  party :  there  is  no  battle  unless  there  be 
two. 

INJURY. 

He  who  has  injured  thee  was  either  stronger  or  » |  / 
weaker — if  weaker,  spare  him;  if  stronger,  spare  V  / 
thyself. 

FORTUNE. 

Fortune  is  not  so  bound  to  any  man  that  it 
everywhere  answers  his  expectations  if  he  engages 
in  much  business. 

MEASURE   YOUR   OWN    STRENGTH. 

As  often  as  thou  engagest  in  any  enterprise, 


:>:',-2  SENECA. 

measure  thyself  with  those  things  which  thou  at- 
temptest  and  to  which  thou  addressest  thyself. 

A  MAN  IS   KNOWN  BY  HIS  COMPANY. 

Manners  are  acquired  from  those  with  whom  ve 
live  familiarly:  and  as  the  body  receives  disease 
from  contagion,  so  the  mind  is  affected  by  the 
vicious  propensities  of  others. 

PATIENCE. 

There  is  one  alleviation  in  misfortunes  to  endure 
and  to  submit  to  necessity. 

TIME. 

When  time  is  lost,  it  is  a  great  loss  in  great 
affairs. 

REPENTANCE  A   SEVERE   PUNISHMENT. 

The  severest  punishment  a  man  can  receive  who 
has  injured  another,  is  to  have  committed  the  in- 
jury: and  no  man  is  more  severely  punished  than 
he  who  is  subject  to  the  whip  of  his  own  repent- 
ance. 

"THERE  is  NO  ONE  RIGHTEOUS,  NO,  NOT  ONE." 

We  are  all  wicked.  Therefore,  whatever  we 
blame  in  another,  we  shall  find  in  our  own  bosom. 
Let  us  then  be  forgiving  to  one  another,  for,  being 
of  evil  inclinations  ourselves,  we  live  in  an  evil 
world.  One  thing  alone  can  enable  us  to  live  at 
peace,  mutual  forgiveness. 

Solon  (Fr.  13,  Schneidewin)  says: — 

"  There  is  no  man  happy,  but  all  are  wicked,  whom  the  sun 
shines  upon.'' 


SENECA.  533 

WE  ARE  ANGRY  WITH  THE  GODS  BECAUSE  ANY 
ONE  SURPASSES  US. 

We  are  angry  with  the  gods  because  any  one  is 
superior  to  us,  forgetting  how  many  are  beneath 
us. 

IT  IS  A  PLEASURE  TO    HAVE    SOMETHING  TO  HOPE 
FOR. 

Among  other  pleasures  it  is  no  small  one  to  see 
that  there  is  something  remaining  for  which  thou 
mayest  hope. 

ART. 
Life  is  short,  but  art  is  long. 

Hipparchus  (Fr.  Com   Gr.  p.  1097,  M.)says: — 
"  By  far  the  most  precious  possessions  to  all  men  is  skill  in 
the  art  of  living:  for  both  war  and  the  changes  of  fortune 
may  destroy  other  things,  but  skill  is  preserved." 
Longfellow  ("  A  Psalm  of  Life  ")  says: — 

"  Art  is  long  and  Tune  is  fleeting." 

LIFE    SHORT    AND   UNCERTAIN. 

With  the  exception  of  a  very  few,  life  deserts 
the  rest  at  the  very  entrance  of  life. 

LIFE    IS    LONG  ENOUGH. 

Life,  if  thou  knowest  how  to  use  it,  is  long 
enough. 

SHORTNESS   OF    LIFE. 

Short  is  that  part  of  life  which  we  really  live.  . 

So  Genesis  xlvii.  9:— 

"  Few  and  evil  have  the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life  been." 

LENGTH  OF   LIFE. 

And,  therefore,  never  say  that  this  man  hath 


534  SENECA. 

lived  long,  as  his  white  head  and  wrinkled  face 
show.'  he  hath  not  lived  long,  but  has  only  been 
long  in  existence. 

Prince  Metternich,  in  a  letter  to  Alexander  Von  Huraboldt 
(17th  Sept.,  1849),  congratulating  him  on  reaching  his  eightieth 
year,  says:— 

"  Naitre  est  peu  de  chose;  utiliser  la  vie estbeaucoup.  Vous 
comptez  parmi  les  plus  riches  et  vous  avez  fait  uii  bien  noble 
usage  de  votre  fortune  morale." 

TIME   PAST    NEVER   RETURNS. 

No  one  will  restore  the  years  gone  past,  no  one 
will  return  thee  to  thyself.  Thy  days  will  go  on 
as  they  have  done  hitherto,  nor  canst  thou  recall 
nor  cause  them  to  halt:  they  will  move  on  without 
noise  and  without  warning  these  of  their  speed : 
they  will  glide  on  with  silent  step. 

WE   MUST   MAKE   USE  OF    TIME. 

Thou  must  strive  against  the  swiftness  of  time 
by  the  speed  in  using  it,  and  draw  from  it  as  thou 
wouldst  water  from  a  rapid  torrent,  which  is  not 
always  to  flow. 

GREAT  FORTUNE. 

How  much  does  great  prosperity  overspread  the 
mind  with  darkness ! 

WISDOM. 

Those  things,  which  wisdom  has  consecrated, 
cannot  be  injured :  no  time  present  can  consume 
them,  nor  time  to  come  diminish  them. 

A    HUNGRY    PEOPLE. 

A  hungry  people  listens  not  to  reason,  nor  cares 
i  for  the  laws  of  equity,  nor  can  be  bent  by  any 
prayer. 


SENECA.  535 

THE  EBROB  OF  ONE  MAN  CAUSES  ANOTHEB  TO 
EBR. 

As  of  ten  happens  in  a  great  crowd  of  men,  when 
the  people  press  against  each  other,  no  one  falls 
without  drawing  another  after  him,  and  the  fore- 
most are  the  cause  of  the  ruin  of  those  that  fol- 
low :  so  it  is  in  common  life ;  there  is  no  man  that 
erreth  to  himself,  but  is  the  cause  and  author  of 
other  men's  error. 

A   MULTITUDE. 

Human  affairs  are  not  so  happily  arranged  that 
the  best  things  please  the  most  men.  V  It  is  the 
proof  of  a  bad  cause  when  it  is  applauded  by  the 
mob.  \^ 

WHO  ABE  THE  VULGAB  ? 

The  vulgar  are  found  in  all  ranks,  and  are  not 
to  be  distinguished  by  the  dress  they  wear. 

NATUBE   IS   THE   BEST   DIBECTBESS. 

Wisdom  consists  in  not  wandering  from  the  na- 
ture of  things,  and  in  forming  ourselves  according 
to  her  law  and  example. 

ADMIBE  THOSE  ATTEMPTING  GBEAT  THINGS. 

If  thou  art  a  man,  admire  those  who  attempt 
great  enterprises,  even  though  they  fail. 

CONSCIENCE. 

I  will  do  all  things,  not  for  opinion,  but  for  con- 
science' sake:  I  shall  believe  that  it  is  done  in  the 
sight  of  all  men,  whatsoever  I  do  with  my  own 
knowledge. 


536  SENECA. 

KINDNESS  TO  MAN. 

Wherever  a  man  is,  there  is  an  opportunity  tor 
doing  a  kindness. 

So  1  Corinthians  iv.  20: — 

"  For  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  in  word,  but  in  power." 

NOT  AN  EASY  MATTER  TO  GIVE. 

He  deceives  himself  who  thinks  it  an  easy  thing 
to  give.  There  is  great  difficulty  in  it,  provided  it 
is  given  with  judgment  and  not  scattered  by 
chance  and  rashly. 

INJURIES    LEAVE    A    DEEPER     IMPRESSION    THAN 
KINDNESSES. 

It  has  been  so  provided  by  nature  that  injuries 
make  a  more  lasting  impression  than  kindnesses, 
and  while  the  latter  quickly  are  forgotten,  the 
former  are  retained  with  a  most  tenacious  mem- 
ory. 

A  KINDNESS. 

A  benefit  is  acknowledged  according  to  the  in- 
tent with  which  it  is  given. 

GOOD  DEEDS. 

Nobody  registers  his  good  deeds  in  his  book  of 
debtors. 

TO   BESTOW  A  FAVOR. 

To  bestow  a  favor  in  hope  to  receive  another  is 
a  contemptible  and  base  usury. 

IN  WHAT  A  BENEFIT  CONSISTS. 

A  benefit  consists  not  in  that  which  is  done  or 
given,  but  in  the  intention  of  the  giver  or  doer. 


SENECA.  537 

A  CHEERFUL  GIVEB. 

Disagreeable  is  the  kindness  which  lias  long 
stuck  betwixt  the  fingers  of  the  man  who  bestows 
it,  so  that  he  seems  with  difficulty  to  part  with  it 
and  to  give  it  as  if  he  were  robbing  himself. 

So  2  Corinthians  ix.  7:— 

"  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver." 

NOTHING  COSTS   SO  MUCH  AS  WHAT  IS  BOUGHT  BY 
PRAYERS. 

Nothing  costs  so  much  as  what  is  bought  with 
prayer. 

THE  TIME   BEFORE   PUNISHMENT. 

The  time  that  precedes  punishment  is  the  sever- 
est part  of  it. 

BENEFITS. 

We  ought  never  to  disclose  that  which  we  have 
given:  he  that  upbraids  a  courtesy  asks  it  back. 
We  must  not  importune;  we  ought  never  to  refresh 
the  memory  by  a  former  kindness,  except  it  be  to 
second  it  by  another. 

A   BENEFIT. 

Let  him  that  hath  done  the  good  office  conceal 
it;  let  him  that  hath  received  it  disclose  it. 

So  1  Thessalonians  v.  18: — 
"In  everything  give  thanks." 

THE   eRATi:r"Tv. 

Let  the  man  who  is  about  to  be  grateful  think 
about  repaying  the  kindness  even  at  the  moment 
he  is  receiving  it. 


538  SENECA. 

THE  GOODNESS  OF   GOD  TO  MAN. 

Whoever  thou  art  that  dost  so  undervalue  man's 
fortune  and  chance,  consider  what  great  blessings 
our  sovereign  parent  hath  given  us.  So  many  vir- 
tues have  we  received,  so  many  arts,  such  a  mind 
and  spirit,  that  at  the  very  instant  wherein  it  in- 
tends a  thing,  it  attains  it;  finally,  such  a  plenty 
of  fruit,  such  store  of  wealth,  and  such  abundance 
of  things  heaped  on«  upon  another.  The  gods 
love  us  most  dearly. 

THE  UNGRATEFUL. 

He  is  ungrateful  who  denies  that  he  has  received 
a  kindness  which  has  been  bestowed  upon  him ; 
he  is  ungrateful  who  conceals  it;  he  is  ungrateful 
who  makes  no  return  for  it;  most  ungrateful  of 
all  is  he  who  forgets  it. 

THE  NOBLE. 

It  is  the  property  of  a  generous  and  noble  mind 
to  aid  and  do  good  to  others;  he  who  conferreth 
benefits,  imitates  the  gods;  he  who  demands  them 
back  is  like  the  usurers. 

So  Luke  vi.  36:— 

;'Be  ye  therefore  merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful." 

VIRTUE  TO   BE   FOUND   IN  ALL   CLASSES. 

Virtue  is  shut  out  from  no  one;  she  is  open  to 
all,  accepts  all,  invites  all,  gentlemen,  freedmen, 
slaves,  kings,  and  exiles:  she  selects  neither  house 
nor  fortune :  she  is  satisfied  with  a  human  being 
without  adjuncts. • 

So  Luke  xiv.  16,  23:— 

"  A  certain  man  made  a  great  supper,  and  bade  many:  Go 
out  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  compel  them  to  come 
in,  that  my  house  may  be  filled." 


SENECA.  539 

THE  SUN  SHINES  ON  THE  WICKED. 

The  sun  shines  even  on  the  wicked. 

So  Matthew  v.  45:— 

"  For  He  maketh  the  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.'1 

THE  OKIGIN  OF  ALL  THE  SAME. 

All  men  have  the  same  beginning  and  the  same 
origin :  no  one  is  more  noble  than  another  except 
the  man  of  lofty  genius,  with  talents  fitted  for 
the  successful  pursuit  of  the  higher  objects  of 
life.  Those  who  range  their  ancestral  images  in 
their  halls,  and  engrave  in  the  entrance  of  their 
palaces  the  names  of  their  illustrious  forefathers 
in  a  long  line  and  their  pedigree  in  all  its  ramifi- 
cations, may  be  regarded  as  known  to  the  world 
rather  than  noble.  The  world  is  the  parent  of  us 
all,  whether  we  trace  our  origin  through  a  series 
of  nobles  or  plebeians. 

THE  KINDNESS  OF  GOD. 

Who  is  so  wretched,  so  forgotten  by  heaven, 
who  is  of  so  hard  a  fate  and  born  to  trouble  that 
he  has  not  experienced  the  great  liberality  of  the 
gods  ?  Look  on  those  very  men  who  are  con- 
stantly bewailing  their  misfortunes  and  are  discon- 
tented. Thou  shalt  find  not  one  of  the  whole  of 
these  destitute  of  the  favors  of  heaven,  and  that 
there  is  no  man  on  whom  have  not  fallen  some 
drops  from  this  gracious  fountain. 

So  Psalm  Ixii.  2:— 

"  Truly  my  soul  waiteth  upon  God.  from  Him  cometh  my 
salvation.  He  only  is  my  rock  and  my  salvation;  He  is  my 
defence:  I  shall  not  be  greatly  moved." 

And  Psalm  x.  17:— 

"  Lord,  thou  hast  heard  the  desire  of  the  humble." 


540  SENECA. 

NATURE   IS   GOD. 

What  else  is  nature  but  God,  and  divine  reason 
residing  in  the  whole  world  and  its  parts  ? 

FATE. 

As  Fate  is  an  immutable  ordinance,  which  holds 
all  causes  chained  together,  God  is  the  first  cause 
of  all,  he  on  whom  all  the  rest  depend. 

GOD  AND  NATURE  THE  SAME. 

Wherefore  it  availeth  thee  nothing,  thou  most 
ungrateful  of  men,  to  avow  that  thou  art  in  no 
way  indebted  to  God,  but  art  under  obligation  to 
nature ;  for  neither  is  nature  without  God  nor  God 
without  nature:  both  these  are  the  same  and  dif- 
fer in  nothing.  If  thou  shouldst  confess  that  thou 
owest  to  Annans  or  Lucius  that  which  Seneca 
had  lent  thee,  thou  wouldst  only  change  the  name 
but  not  the  creditor.  For  whether  thou  callest 
him  by  his  name  or  surname,  he  would  be  the 
same  man.  Call  him  as  thou  pleasest,  nature, 
fate,  or  fortune,  it  matters  not,  because  they  are 
all  the  names  of  the  self-same  God,  who  makes 
use  of  His  divine  providence  diversely. 

THE   HUMAN   RACE. 

God  has  given  certain  gifts  to  the  whole  human 
race,  from  which  nobody  is  excluded. 

THE  GOOD  AND  BAD. 

It  is  better  to  bestow  kindnesses  even  on  the 
bad  for  the  sake  of  the  good  than  to  be  wanting  to 
the  good  on  account  of  the  bad. 

GOD  SENDETH  EA1N  ON  THE   JUST  AND  THE 
UNJUST. 

Neither  was  a  law  able  to  be  imposed  on  the 


SENECA.  541 

falling  showers,  that  they  should  not  water  and 
overflow  the  fields  of  the  wicked  and  unjust. 

GREAT  VIRTUES . 

It  is  not  without  reason  that  there  is  a  sacred 
recollection  of  great  virtues. 

THE   USE   OF    ADVERSITY. 

Many  beufefits  have  a  sad  and  rough  countenance, 
as  to  burn  and  cut  in  order  to  healing. 
So  Shakespeare  ("  As  You  Like  It,"  act  vi.  sc.  1):— 
"  Sweet  are  the  uses  of  adversity, 
Which  like  the  toad,  ugly  and  venomous, 
Wears  yet  a  precious  jewel  in  his  head." 

A  TEACHER. 

Thou  buyest  from  thy  instructor  in  the  liberal 
arts  an  inestimable  treasure,  liberal  studies,  and 
the  cultivation  of  thy  mind.  Therefore,  he  is  paid 
not  the  price  of  the  thing,  but  of  his  labor,  be- 
cause he  is  withdrawn  from  his  own  business,  and 
devotes  himself  to  thy  service.  He  receives  the 
reward,  not  of  his  merits,  but  of  his  occupation. 

So  Hebrews  xiii.  17: — 

"  Obey  them  that  have  the  rule  over  you,  and  submit  your- 
selves: for  they  watch  for  your  souls,  as  they  that  must  give 
an  account." 

GOD  NEVER  REPENTS. 

God  never  repents  of  what  He  has  first  resolved 
upon. 

So  Numbers  xxiii.  19: — 

"  God  is  not  a  man,  that  He  should  lie ;  neither  the  son  of 
man,  that  He  should  repent:  hath  He  said,  and  shall  He  not 
do  it?  or  hath  He  spoken,  and  shall  He  not  make  it  good? " 

THE    GODS. 

There  is  nothing  external  to  them  that  can  con- 


542  SENECA. 

strain  the  gods,  their  eternal  and  inviolable  will  is 
a  law  to  them.  They  have  established  that  which 
they  do  not  intend  to  alter.  Doubtless  they  can- 
not stand  still  or  run  a  contrary  course,  because  it 
is  not  possible  for  them  to  err  from  the  best 
course,  and  because  they  have  determined  so  to 
go.  i 

\VHAT  18  TO   MAKE   US   BETTER    LIES   BEFORE   US. 

Whatever  is  to  make  us  better  and  happy,  God 
has  placed  either  openly  before  us  or  close  to  us. 

TO     HAVE     AT     COMMAND     A     FEW    PKECEPTS     OF 
WISDOM. 

It  is  more  profitable  for  thee,  if  thou  hast  a  few 
precepts  of  wisdom,  that  they  should  be  ready  at 
thy  command  rather  than  thou  shouldest  learn 
many  things,  but  shouldest  not  have  them  for 
immediate  use. 

MAN  A    SOCIAL  ANJMAL. 

Man  is  a  social  animal,  and  born  to  live   to- 
gether so  as  to  regard  the  world  as  one  house. 
So  John  xiv.  2:— 
"  In  my  father's  house  are  many  mansions." 

TKUTH. 

v   Truth  lies  wrapped  up  and  hidden  in  the  depths. 
Dr.  Walcott  ("  Birthday  Ode  ")  says:— 

"  The  sages  say,  Dame  Truth  delights  to  dwell— 
Strange  mansion— in  the  bottom  of  a  well. 

THE  GOODNESS  OF   GOD  TO  MAN. 

Like  the  best  of  parents,  who  smile  at  the  pas- 
sionate words  of  their  children,  the  gods  cease 
not  to  heap  kindnesses  on  those  who  look  with 


SENECA.  543 

suspicion  on  their  author ;  but  having  alone  the 
power  to  do  good,  they  scatter  with  an  impartial 
hand  their  kindnesses  on  all  peoples  and  nations. 
They  pour  rain  on  the  fields  at  the  proper  time, 
they  raise  the  waves  of  the  sea  with  the  wind, 
mark  the  seasons  by  the  rising  and  setting  of  the 
stars,  moderate  winter  and  summer  by  a  gentler 
temperature. 

So  Acts  xiv.  17: — 

"  Nevertheless  He  left  not  Himself  without  witness,  in  that 
He  did  good,  and  gave  us  rain  from  heaven,  and  fruitful  sea- 
sons, filling  our  hearts  with  food  and  gladness." 

AN  OLD  MAN. 

There  is  nothing  more  disgraceful  than  that  an  \ 
old  man  should  have  nothing  to  produce  as  a  proof  > 
that  he  has  lived  long  except  his  years. 

A  GOOD   CITIZEN. 

The  aid  of  a  good  citizen  is  never  without  a 
beneficial  effect;  for  he  assists  by  everything  he 
does,  by  listening,  by  looking  on,  by  his  presence, 
by  his  nod  of  approbation,  even  by  obstinate  si- 
lence, and  by  his  very  gait. 

TO  I,ABOB  AGAINST    NATURE  IS  VAIN. 

Where  the  mind  is  acting  under  constraint  the 
results  are  seldom  good:  when  nature  is  reluctant 
the  labor  is  lost. 

A   TRUSTY    FRIEND   A   REMEDY   FOR  A  TROUBLED 
MIND. 

What  a  great  blessing  is  a  friend,  with  a  breast 
so  trusty  that  thou  mayest  safely  bury  all  thy 
secrets  in  it,  whose  conscience  thou  mayest  fear 
less  than  thine  own,  who  can  relieve  thy  cares  by 
his  conversation,  thy  doubts  by  his  counsels,  thy 


544  SENECA. 

sadness  by  his  good  humor,  and  whose  very  look 
gives  comfort  to  thee ! 

Xenophon  (Memor.  n.  iv.  l)says: — 

"For  what  horse  or  what  chariot  is  so  useful  as  a  useful 
friend." 

BOOKS. 

A  large  library  is  apt  to  distract  rather  than  to 
instruct  the  learner;  it  is  much  better  to  confine 
thyself  to  a  few  authors  than  to  wander  at  random 
over  many. 

Milton  ("  Paradise  Regained,"  iv.  310)  says  of  books:— 
"  However,  many  books, 

Wise  men  have  said,  are  wearisome,  who  reads 

Incessantly,  and  to  his  reading  brings  not 

A  spirit  and  judgment  equal  or  superior, 

(And  what  he  brings  what  needs  he  elsewhere  seek?) 

Uncertain  and  unsettled  still  remains 

Deep  versed  in  books  and  shallow  in  himself." 

CUSTOM. 

The  greatest  blessing  we  have  received  from 
nature  is  that,  foreseeing  to  what  sorrows  we 
would  be  subject  in  this  world,  she  found  out 
habit  as  a  remedy  to  soothe  us,  making  thereby 
the  greatest  calamities  quickly  familiar  and  sup- 
portable. No  one  could  endure  it,  if  adversity 
continued  to  be  as  bitter  as  it  is  at  its  first  ap- 
proach. We  are  all  chained  to  fortune;  some  of 
us  have  a  golden  and  loose  chain,  others  a  tight 
and  base  one. 

PATIENCE  UNDER  SUFFERINGS. 

There  is  nothing  so  disagreeable  for  which  a 
patient  mind  may  not  find  some  comfort. 

So  Jeremiah  xxxi.  13: — 

"I  will  turn  their  mourning  into  joy." 


SENECA.  545 

And  2  Corinthians  iv.  8:— 

"  We  are  troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not  distressed;  we  are 
perplexed,  but  not  in  despair." 

SOME   RELAXATION  TO   BE   GIVEN  TO   THE   MIND. 

Some  relaxation  must  be  given  to  our  minds: 
rest  makes  them  better  and  more  active.  As  we 
must  not  overwork  our  fertile  fields,  for  in  that 
way  we  shall  soon  exhaust  them,  so  uninterrupted 
labor  destroys  the  power  of  men's  minds. 

NO   GKEAT   WIT   WITHOUT   A   SPICE  ^>F   FOLLY. 

No  great  wit  has  ever  existed  without  a  spice  of 
madness. 

So  Dryden  ("Absalom  and  Achitophel,"  Part  1. 1.  163): — 
_ "  Great  wits  are  sure  to  madness  near  allied, 

And  their  partitions  do  their  bounds  divide." 
Aristotle  (Problemata  xxx.  1)  says: — 

"Why,  all  who  are  born  illustrious  either  in  philosophy, 
political  life,  poetry  or  arts,  appear  to  have  a  spice  of  mad- 
ness in  them." 

A  GREAT  FORTUNE  IS  A  GREAT  SERVITUDE. 

A  great  fortune  is  a  great  servitude. 

THE  SOUL. 

Now  the  soul  of  rny  brother,  released  as  it  were 
from  a  lengthened  imprisonment,  at  length  rejoices 
to  be  its  own  master,  enjoying  the  view  of  the 
nature  of  things,  and  looking  down  from  on  high 
on  all  human  things,  while  it  looks  more  closely 
at  divine  things,  the  reason  of  which  it  had  long 
sought  in  vain. 

FIRMNESS   OF   SPIRIT. 

Not  to  feel  our  misfortunes  is  not  to  be  a  man, 
and  not  to  submit  to  them  is  not  to  be  a  man  of 

spirit. 


546  SENECA. 

PROOF   OF   A   CREATOR. 

It  would  be  labor  lost  to  show  at  present  that 
this  mighty  frame  of  the  world  could  not  be  main- 
tained without  some  governor,  and  that  this  regu- 
lar course  of  the  stars  is  not  directed  by  chance. 

So  Psalm  Ixxiv.  16:— 

"  The  day  is  Thine,  the  night  also  is  Thine:  Thou  hast  pre- 
pared the  light  and  the  sun." 

THE  PATERNAL  AFFECTION  OF  GOD. 

Between  gflod  men  and  God  there  is  a  friendship 
which  virtue  conciliates;  a  friendship,  'do  I  say? 
yea,  a  kindred  and  similitude;  for  that  a  good 
man  is  God's  disciple  and  imitator,  and  His  true 
offspring,  whom  that  magnificent  Father,  no  softly 
exacter  of  virtue,  doth  after  the  manner  of  severe 
parents  educate  hardly. 

VIRTUE. 

Virtue  withers  away  if  it  has  no  opposition. 

THE   CHASTISEMENT   OF   GOD. 

Are  you  surprised  if  God,  who  is  most  loving  of 
the  good,  and  who  wishes  that  they  should  be  as 
good  and  excellent  as  possible,  gives  them  that 
kind  of  fortune  by  which  they  are  tried? 

So  Hebrews  xii.  6:— 

"  For  whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth 
every  son  whom  He  receiveth." 

A  MAN  STRUGGLING  WITH  ADVERSITY. 

Behold  a  spectacle  to  which  God  may  worthily 
turn  his  attention;  behold  a  match  worthy  of  God, 
a  brave  man  hand-in-hand  with  adverse  fortune, 
at  least  if  he  has  challenged  the  combat. 


SENECA.  547 

TO   CONQUER   WITHOUT   DANGER. 

He  knows  that  the  man  is  overcome  ingloriously, 
who  is  overcome  without  danger. 

Corneille  (Cid.  ii.  2)  says:— 

"We  triumph  without  glory  when,  we  conquer  without 
danger." 

THE   MAN  UNTRIED   BY   ADVERSITY. 

There  is  no  one  more  unfortunate  than  the  man 
who  has  never  been  unfortunate,  for  it  has  never 
been  in  his  power  to  try  himself. 

So  Proverbs  i.  32:— 

"  The  prosperity  of  fools  shall  destroy  them." 

CALAMITY. 

Calamity  is  an  .opportunity  to  show  one's  virtue. 

So  2  Timothy  iii.  12:— 

"  Yea,  and  all  that  will  li ve  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer 
persecution." 

ADVERSITY. 

Great  men  rejoice  in  adversity  just  as  brave  sol- 
diers triumph  in  war. 

So  2  Corinthians  vii.  4:— 

"  I  am  exceeding  joyful  in  all  our  tribulation." 

CONTEMPT  OF  DANGER. 

Constant  exposure  to  danger  will  inspire  con- 
tempt for  it. 

MISERY. 
Fire  tries  gold,  misery  tries  brave  men. 

Beaumom.  and  Fletcher  ("  The  Triumph  of  Honor,"  sc.  1) 
says:— 

"  Calamity  is  man's  true  touchstone.'1 

So  Siratjh  ii.  5: — 

"  For  jrjold  is  tried  in  the  fire,  and  acceptable  men  in  the  fur- 
nace of  adversity." 


548  SENECA. 

THE  FATE  OF  ALL  APPOINTED  BY  GOD. 

He  that  is  the  former  and  creator  of  all  has  ap- 
pointed their  fates. 

So  Psalm  cxxxix.  16: — 

"  Thine  eyes  did  see  my  substance,  yet  being  imperfect;  and 
in  thy  book  all  my  members  were  written,  which  in  continu- 
ance wer,e  fashioned,  when  as  yet  there  were  none  of  them." 

CLEMENCY  BECOMES   A   PRINCE. 

Clemency  becomes  no  one  more  than  a  king  or 
prince. 

A  GREAT  MIND. 

A  great  mind  becomes  a  great  fortune. 

SIN. 

Although  a  man  has  so  well  purged  his  mind 
that  nothing  can  trouble  or  deceive  him  any  more, 
yet  he  reached  his  present  innocence  through  sin. 

THE  POWERFUL. 

Even  as  lightning  causes  danger  to  few,  but 
fear  to  all ;  so'  the  punishments  of  mighty  poten- 
tates are  more  full  of  fear  than  of  evil,  and  not 
without  reason.  For  in  him  that  has  power,  all 
men  considers  not  what  he  does,  but  what  he  may 
do. 

THE  AFFECTION  OF  SUBJECTS. 

'    The  love  of  subjects  is  an  invincible  protection. 

\ 

SEVERITY. 

|     Severity,  if  it  be  too  frequently  used,  loses  its 
authority,  which  is  its  chief  use. 


SENECA.  549 

THE   DIVINITY. 

The  divinity  requires  no  aid,  and  is  not  able  to 
be  injured. 

THE   LIFE   OF   MAN. 

The  whole  life  of  man  is  nothing  else  than  a 
journey  towards  death. 

So  Jeremiah  xxi.  8: — 

"  I  set  before  you  the  way  of  life  and  the  way  of  death." 

A  BEGINNING  AND    END   TO  EVEBYTHING. 

Whatever  begins  also  ends. 

So  1  Corinthians  vii.  31  :— 

"The  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away." 

AVARICE. 

Nothing  is  too  much  to  the  avaricious  mind, 
even  a  little  is  enough  for  nature. 

So  Ecclesiastes  v.  10:— 

"  He  that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied  with  silver.'' 

WHAT   IS   MAN? 

What  is  man?  A  weak  and  frail  body.  What  is 
man?  Only  a  broken  vessel,  and  easily  broken  by 
the  slightest  movement. 

So  Psalm  viii.  4:— 

"  What  is  man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him?  and  the  son 
of  man,  that  Thou  visitest  him? " 

DEATH. 

Death  is  the  close  and  release  from  all  the  pains 
of  life. 

So 2  Timothy  iv.  8:—  % 

"  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteous- 
ness, which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at 
that  day ;  and  not  to  mo  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love 
His  appearing." 


560  SENECA. 

DEATH. 

Death  is  to  be  wished  for  by  the  most  prosper- 
ous. 

THE    PAST. 

In  the  great  inconstancy  and  crowd  of  events 
1  nothing  is  certain  except  the  past. 
I 

TIME. 

Some  portion  of  our  time  is  taken  from  us  by 
force;  another  portion  is  stolen  from  us;  and  an- 
other slips  away.  But  the  most  disgraceful  loss  is 
that  which  arises  from  our  own  negligence ;  and  if 
thou  wilt  seriously  observe,  thou  shalt  perceive 
that  a  great  part  of  life  flits  from  those  who  do 
evil,  a  greater  from  those  who  do  nothing,  and  the 
whole  from  those  who  do  not  accomplish  the  bus- 
iness which  they  think  that  they  are  doing. 

So  Psalm  xc.  9:— 

4i  We  spend  our  years  as  a  tale  that  is  told." 

TIME. 

While  life  is  frittered  away,  it  is  passing  on. 

WHEN   ECONOMY   IS   TOO   LATE. 

*"""*      When  we  have  reached  the  end  of  our  property, 
it  is  too  late  then  to  become  economical. 

Hesiodus  ('E/jj'ra,  309)  says:— 

"  Sparingness  is  too  late  at  the  bottom." 

THE  MAX  THAT  IS  REALLY  POOR. 

"**      It  is  not  the  man  who  has  little,  but  he  who  de- 
sires more,  that  is  poor. 

A  FREQUENT  CHANGE  IS  NOT  GOOD. 

\        The  plant  which  is  often  transferred  does  not 
prosper. 


SENECA.  551 

THE   MAN   WHO   IS   EVERYWHERE. 

The  man  who  is  everywhere  is  nowhere. 

WHAT   TO   ADMIRE. 

Let  the  man,  who  shall  enter  our  house,  admire 
ourselves  rather  than  our  furniture. 

NO   SATISFACTION   WITHOUT    A  COMPANION. 

There  is  no  satisfaction  in  any  good  without  a 
companion. 

PRECEPTS   CONTRASTED    WITH    EXAMPLE. 

The  road  by  pi'ecepts  is  tedious,  by  example  short 
and  efficacious. 

So  a  Corinthians  ix.  :i:— 

"  Your  zeal  has  provoked  very  many." 

MEN   LEARN  BY   TEACHING   OTHERS. 

Men,  while  they  teach,  learn. 

THE   WEAKNESS   OF   MAN. 

I  indeed  acknowledge  my  weakness.  What  hap- 
pens to  the  sick,  that  befalls  us  whose  souls  are 
recovered  after  a  long  disease. 

So  Psalm  xxxii.  5: — 

"I  acknowledged  my  sin  unto  thee,  and  mine  iniquity  have 
I  not  hid.  1  said,  I  will  confess  my  transgressions  unto  the 
Lord;  and  thou  forgavest  the  iniquity  of  my  sin." 

LOVE. 

If  thou  wishest  to  be  loved,  love. 

So  Proverbs  viii.  17: — 

"  I  love  them  that  love  me." 

THE  MIND 

My  all  I  carry  with  me.    - 


552  SENECA. 

HOW  TO  LIVE. 

Live  with  men  as  if  God  saw  you;  converse  with 
God  as  if  men  heard  you. 

WITHOUT   EVIL,   DESIRES. 

Then  know  that  thou  art  freed  from  all  evil  de- 
sires, when  thou  hast  reached  that  point  that  thou 
askefct  nothing  of  God  except  what  thou  canst  ask 
openly. 

So  Romans  xii.  3:— 

"  And  be  not  conformed  to  this  world ;  but  be  ye  transformed 
by  the  renewing  of  your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is  that 
good,  and  acceptable,  and  perfect  will  of  God." 

THE   EXAMPLE   OF   THE   GOOD. 

We  must  choose  some  good  man,  and  place  him 
always  before  our  eyes,  that  we  may  live  as  if  he 
were  looking  at  us,  and  do  all  as  if  he  saw  us. 
We  should  have  some  one  to  whose  manners  we 
may  conform  our  own. 

So  1  Peter  ii.  21  :— 

"  Leaving  us  an  example  that  ye  should  follow  His  steps." 

VICES  NOT  TO   BE  REMOVED  BY  WISDOM. 

*v  No  wisdom  can  remove  the  natural  vices  of  the 

•    body  or  mind ;  what  is  infixed  or  inbred  may  be 
\   allayed  by  art,  not  subdued. 
V>       \ 

WE  CANNOT  BE  DEPRIVED  OF  PAST  ENJOYMENT. 

When  we  retire  to  rest,  let  us  joyfully  and  con- 
tentedly say:  "I  have  lived  and  finished  the 
course  which  Fortune  had  given  me."  If  God 
grant  us  to-morrow,  let  us  receive  it  with  thank- 
fulness. Thrice  happy  is  he,  and  thoroughly 
master  of  himself,  who  can  look  forward  to  to- 
morrow without  anxiety.  Whoever  has  said,  "I 
have  lived,"  rises  daily  to  the  acquisition  of  gain. 


SENECA.  553 

"  SUFFICIENT  TO  THE  DAY  IS  THE  EVIL 
THEREOF." 

Be  not  wretched  before  the  time;  since  the 
things  which  thou  thinkest  to  be  impending  per- 
haps will  never  happen,  at  all  events  have  not  yet 
happened.  Therefore  some  things  torment  us 
more  than  they  ought;  some  things  torment  us 
before  they  ought;  some  things  torment  us  when 
they  ought  not  to  do  it  at  all. 

So  Matthew  vi.  31  :— 

"  Take  therefore  no  thought  for  the  morrow;  for  the  mor- 
row shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient 
unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 

FOLLY. 

Among  other  ills,  folly  has  this  also,  that  it  is 
always  beginning  to  live. 

HOW  TO  LIVE. 

If  thou  live  according  to  nature,  thou  wilt  never 
be  poor;  if  according  to  the  opinions  of  the  world, 
thou  wilt  never  be  rich. 

DEBT. 

A  slight  debt  makes  a  man  a  debtor,  a  heavy 
one  an  enemy. 

MEN  OF   GENIUS. 

There  will  come  after  us  a  long  course  of  ages; 
a  few  men  of  great  genius  will  raise  their  heads, 
and  though  by  and  by  about  to  sink  into  the  same 
silent  tomb,  they  will  resist  the  forgetfulness  of 
mankind,  and  keep  themselves  a  long  time  in 
reputation. 

Of  men  of  genius,  Lowell  in  his  poem  "  An  Incident  in  a 
Railroad  Car,"  written  in  1842,  thus  speaks  : — 
"  It  may  be  glorious  to  write 
Thoughts  that  shall  glad  the  two  or  three 


554  KENECA. 

High  souls,  like  those  far  stars  that  come  in  sight 

Once  in  a  century  ; 
But  better  far  it  is  to  speak 
One  simple  word,  which  now  and  then 
Shall  waken  their  free  nature  in  the  weak 
And  friendless  sons  of  men." 

BEGINNING   TO  LIVE. 

It  is  a  tedious  thing  to  be  always  beginning  life: 
they  live  badly  who  always  begin  to  live. 


It  is  base  to  speak  one  thing  and  to  think 
another  :  how  much  more  base  is  it  to  write  one 
thing  and  think  another. 

SELF-BESPECT. 

When  thou  hast  profited  so  much  that  thou 
respectesl;  even  thyself,  thou  mayest  let  go  thy 
tutor. 

Pope  ("Essay  on  Man,1'  Ep.  iv.  1.  255)  speaks  thus  ot 
self-respect: — 

"  One  self -approving  hour  whole  years  outweighs 
Of  stupid  starers  and  of  loud  huzzas." 

DEATH. 

It  is  uncertain  in  what  place  death  may  await 
thee:  therefore  expect  it  in  every  place. 


i      Truth  is  open  to  all  men,  she  is  not  yet  alto- 
'  gether  laid  hold  of;  much  is  still  left  to  futurity. 

FRIENDSHIP. 

Friendship  always  does  good,  love  also  some- 
times is  injurious. 

AN  OLD  MAN. 

It  is  an  absurd  and  base  thing  to  see  an  old 


SENECA.  555 

man  at  his  A,  B,  C.     We  should  lay  up  in  our 
youth  what  we  are  to  make  use  of  in  our  old  age. 

MANNEKS. 

.Fortune  has  no  power  over  manners. 

PRECEPTS. 

Precepts  are  much  the  same  as  seed;  though 
small  at  first,  they  effect  much. 

So  Matthew  xiii.  31 : — 

"  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed."  , 

THE    NOBLE-MINDED. 

A  noble  mind  has  this  excellence  in  it,  that  it  is 
incited  to  honorable  deeds.  There  is  no  high- 
minded  man  that  is  delighted  with  base  and  con- 
temptible things ;  the  very  appearance  of  mighty 
objects  invites  him  and  rouses  his  faculties. 

So  Ezekiel  xxxvi  26,  27:— 

"  A  new  heart  also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I 
put  within  you;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out  of 
your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  an  heart  or'  flesh.  And  1  will 
put  my  Spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my 
statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments,  and  do  them." 

A  VICIOUS  AGE. 
What  were  vices  once  are  now  the  fashion. 

THAT  WHICH  IS  HASTY. 

1    Xothing  is  well  ordered  which  is  h^sty  and  pre- 
cipitate. 

GOD  18  IN  US. 

God  is  nigh  to  thee,  He  is  with  thee,  He  is  in 
thee;  I  tell  thee,  O  Lucilius,  a  holy  spirit  resideth 
within  us,  an  observer  and  guardian  of  our  good 
and  our  bad  doings,  who,  as  He  hath  been  dealt 


556  SENECA. 

with  by  us,  so  He  dealeth  with  us ;  no  man  is  good 
without  God. 

So  Romans  viii.  9: — 

"  If  so  be  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  you." 

THE  MIND. 

A  great  and  sacred  spirit  talks  indeed  within  us, 
but  cleaves  to  its  divine  original. 

So  1  John  iv.  16:— 

"  God  is  love,  and  he  that  dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth  in  God, 
and  God  in  him." 

PUNISHMENT  OF   WICKEDNESS. 

There  is  no  greater  punishment  of  wickedness 
than  that  it  is  dissatisfied  with  itself  and  its 
deeds. 

NOTHING  GREAT  IN    ITSELF. 

Whatever  is  high  in  the  places  near  it  is  great 
there  where  it  rises  up  :  for  greatness  has  no  cer- 
tain measure,  comparison  either  raises  or  depresses 
it. 

GOOD  CONSCIENCE. 

A  good  conscience  may  have  a  crowd  around,  a 
bad  is  even  in  solitude  anxious  and  care-worn.  If 
thou  dost  what  is  honorable,  all  may  know;  if  thou 
actest  basely,  what  boots  it  that  no  one  knows, 
when  thou  thyself  knowest.  O  miserable  man,  if 
thou  despisest  such  a  witness. 

PEDIGREE. 

If  there  is  anything  good  in  philosophy,  it  is  this, 
^    that  it  does  not  regard  nobility.     All,  if  we  look 
i     back  to   their  first  origin,  are  sprung  from  the 
gods. 

\ 


SENECA.  557 

THE   GENTLEMAN". 

Who  is  the  gentleman?  He  that  is  well  prepared 
by  nature  for  virtue.  It  does  not  make  a  noble- 
man to  have  his  court  full  of  smoky  images.  No 
man  lived  for  our  glory,  neither  is  that  which  was 
before  us  ours.  The  mind  makes  the  nobleman, 
which  enables  us  to  rise  from  the  basest  condition 
above  fortune. 

Spenser,  in  his  "  Faerie  Queen  "  (vi.  3,  1),  thus  speaks  of 
the  man  of  gentle  manners:— 

"  True  is,  that  whilome  that  good  poet  said, 
The  gentle  mind  by  gentle  deeds  is  known, 
For  a  man  by  nothing  is  so  well  bewray'd 
As  by  his  manners." 

Tennyson  ("  In  Memoriam,"  cant,  x.)  says: — 
"  The  grand  old  name  of  gentleman 
Defamed  by  every  charlatan, 
And  soil'd  with  all  ignoble  use." 

BOOKS. 

It  is  not  how  many  books  thou  hast,  but  how 
good;  careful  reading  profiteth,  while  that  which 
is  full  of  variety  delighteth. 

Milton  (Areopagitica)  says:— 

"  A  good  book  is  the  precious  life-blood  of  a  master-spirit, 
embalmed  and  treasured  up  on  purpose  to  a  life  beyond  life." 

VICES   UNDER   THE   NAME   OF   VIRTUES. 

Vices  creep  upon  us  under  the  name  of  virtues.  — 
So  Ephesians  vi.  11 : — 

'•  To  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the  devil." 

TO-MOKKOW. 

Examine  each  individual,  and  consider  the  i 
whole  world,  and  you  will  find  that  there  is  no  , 
man's  life  that  is  not  aiming  at  to-morrow. 


558  SENECA. 

DBESS. 

He  is  very  silly  who  values  a  man  either  by  his 
dress  or  by  his  condition,  which  is  wrapped  about 
him  like  a  garment. 

MANNERS. 

Each  giveth  himself  manners :  chance  bestoweth 
his  office  in  life. 

THE   GOOD   AND   THE   BAD. 

Good  habits  have  this  advantage  among  other 
things,  that  they  give  pleasure  to  those  who  pos- 
sess them,  and  are  an  enduring  possession;  where- 
as the  evil-inclined  are  fickle,  often  changing, 
never  for  the  better,  but  to  something  else. 

LOVE. 
Love  cannot  be  mingled  with  fear. 

THE   SELFISH. 

No  man  can  live  happily  who  regards  himself 
alone,  who  turns  everything  to  his  own  advantage ; 
thou  must  live  for  another  if  thou  wishest  to  live 
for  thyself. 

So  Qalatians  v.  14:— 

"  Thou  sha.lt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 

SWIFTNESS  OF  TIME. 

The  swiftness  of  time  is  infinite,  as  is  still  more 
evident  when  we  look  back  upon  the  past. 
Young  says:— 

"  We  take  no  note  of  time 
But  from  its  loss." 

LANGUAGE  OF  TRUTH. 

The  language  of  truth  is  simple. 

JCsehylus  (Fr.)  says:— 

"  For  the  words  of  truth  are  simple." 


SENECA.  559 

ORIGINAL  SIN. 

To  no  man  comes  a  good  mind  before  an  evil. 

LIBERTY. 

Thou  inquirest  what  liberty  is?  To  be  slave  to 
nothing,  to.no  necessity,  to  no  accidents,  to  keep 
Fortune  at  arm's  length. 

SELF-SUFFICIENT. 

Nobody  is  sufficient  of  himself  to  escape  from 
the  difficulties  of  life;  some  one  must  lend  a  help- 
ing hand,  some  one  must  bring  us  out. 

So  Matthew  viii.  17: — 

"  Himself  took  our  infirmities,  and  bare  our  sicknesses." 
And  Luke  xix.  10:— 

"  For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
was  "Oit." 

THE   STRUGGLE   OF   THE   FLESH   AND   THE   SPIRIT. 

What  is  this,  Lucilius,  that  draggeth  us  one  way 
when  we  wish  to  go  another,  and  urges  us  to  the 
point  whence  we  wish  to  recede?  What  is  it  that 
struggles  with  our  souls,  and  does  not  allow  us  to 
will  anything  once? 

So  Romans  vii.  18: —  . 

"  For  I  know  that  in  me  (that  is,  in  my  flesh)  dwelleth  no 
good  thing:  for  to  will  is  present  with  me;  but  how  to  perform 
that  which  is  good  I  find  not." 

OLD  AGE. 

None  of  us  is  the  same  in  old  age  that  we  were 
in  youth. 

FORTUNE. 

Fortune  cannot  take  away  that  which  she  has 
not  given. 


660  SENECA. 

SELF-INSPECTION. 

The  ancients  thought  that  self-inspection  was 
particularly  necessary  f  or  repentance,  particularly 
as  without  it  the  life  of  man  was  not  possible. 

So  Psalm  cxxxix.  23,  24:  — 

"Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart;  try  me,  and 
know  my  thoughts;  and  res  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in 
me,  and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting." 

DEATH. 

Before  old  age  I  took  care  to  live  well,  in  old 
age  I  took  care  to  die  well;  but  to  die  well  is  to 
die  willingly. 

TO  DO   A  THING  WILLINGLY. 

I  maintain  that  he  who  willingly  submits  to  an- 
other man's  command  has  escaped  from  the  most 
cruel  part  of  servitude, — that  is  to  say,  to  do  tliat 
which  he  is  unwilling  to  do.  The  most  miserable 
man  is  not  he  that  has  a  command  put  upon  him, 
but  the  man  that  does  it  against  his  will. 

RICHES. 

The  shortest  road  to  riches  is  by  the  contempt 
of  riches* 

So  Matthew  vi.  33:— 

"  But  seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His  righteous- 
ness; and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 

NOT  LOST,  BUT   GONE   BEFORE. 

Let  us  think,  therefore,  dearest  Lucilius,  that 
we  shall  soon  arrive  at  that  place  whither  we 
grieve  that  he  has  reached.  And  perhaps  (if  only 
the  idea  of  the  wise  is  correct  and  some  place  or 
other  receives  us)  he,  whom  we  imagine  to  be  lost, 
has  only  gone  before  us. 


SENECA.  5(5 1 

OUB   PREDECESSORS. 

Those  who  have  been  before  us  have  done  much, 
but  have  not  finished  anything;  yet  they  are  te 
be  looked  up  to  and  worshipped  as  gods. 

A   GREAT   MAN   MAY   ISSUE   FROM   A   COTTAGE, 

A  great  man  may  spring  from  a  cottage;  a  vir. 
tuous  and  great  soul  may  be  enclosed  in  a  de- 
formed and  mean  body. 

VIRTUE   LOOKS   NOT   BACK. 

It  is  not  allowed  to  virtue  to  go  back.    - 

So  Luke  ix.  62:— 

"  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  No  man,  having  put  his  hand 
to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of 
God." 

TO  LIVE. 

Mere  life  is  not  a  blessing,  but  to  live  well. 

FEAR  OF   DEATH. 

It  is  folly  to  die  from  fear  of  death. 

THE   ERRORS   OF   THE   HUMAN   MIND. 

Our  mind  is  darkened  to  perceive  the  truth. 

So  Ephesians  iv.  18:— 

"  Having  the  understanding  darkened  because  of  the  blind- 
ness of  their  heart." 

WISDOM  NOT  TO  BE  ACQUIRED  EASILY. 

As  wool  imbibes  at  once  certain  colors  and 
others  it  does  not,  unless  it  has  been  frequently 
soaked  and  doubly-dyed:  so  there  are  certain 
kinds  of  learning  which,  on  being  acquired,  are 
thoroughly  mastered ;  but  philosophy,  unless  she 
sinks  deeply  into  the  soul  and  has  long  dwelt 
there,  and  has  not  given  a  mere  coloring  but  a 
30 


562  SENECA. 

deep  dye,  performs'  none  of  the  things  which  she 
had  promised. 

TEACHERS. 

The  young  venerate  and  look  up  to  their  teach- 
ers. 

So  Hebrews  xiii.  7: — 
"  Remember  them  that  have  the  rule  over  you." 

GOD  IN   MAN. 

The  gods  stretch  out  their  hand  to  those  that 
ascend.  Dost  thou  wonder  that  man  goes  to  the 
gods  ?  God  comes  to  men,  nay,  what  is  nearer; 
comes  into  men.  There  is  not  any  soul  that  is 
good  without  God. 

THY  WILL   I5E   DONE. 

Let  that  please  man  which  has  pleased  God. 

So  Matthew  vi.  10:— 

"  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven." 

SINCERITY. 

Let  us  speak  what  we  feel,  let  us  feel  what  we 
speak,  let  our  conversation  be  in  accordance  with 
our  life. 

TAKE  CARE  LEST  THOU  FALL. 

There  is  nobody  outside  the  danger  of  vice,  ex- 
cept the  man  who  has  wholly  driven  it  from  him. 

So  1  Corinthians  x.  12:— 

"  Wherefore,  let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed 
lest  he  fall." 

TO  LEARN. 

Thou  must  learn  as  long  as  thou  art  ignorant, 
and,  if  we  give  credit  to  the  proverb,  so  long  as 
thou  livest. 


SENECA.  563 

WISDOM. 

It  has  happened  to  no  one  to  be  wise  by  chance. 

TRUTH   AND   FALSEHOOD. 

Truth  will  never  be  tedious  to  him  that  travels 
through  the  nature  of  things  ;  it  is  falsehood  that 
gluts  us. 

OUR  GENIUS. 

To  each  of  us  a  god  is  given  to  be  our  guide 
through  life,  not  indeed  of  the  higher  kind,  but 
one  of  a  lower  degree. 

So  Matthew  xvii.  10:  — 

"  Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones:  for 
I  say  unto  you,  That  in  heaven  their  angels  do  always  behold 
the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

FALSEHOOD. 

Falsehood  is  of  slight  texture;  it  is  pellucid,  if  — 
thou  lookest  closely  at  it. 


GOODNESS. 

It  is  not  goodness  to  be  better  than  the  very 
bad. 

WE  SHALL  ALL  MEET  AGAIN. 

There  will  come  some  time,  which  will  join  and 
place  us  together. 

So  John  v.  28,  29.— 

"  For  the  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the 
graves  shall  hear  His  voice  and  shall  come  forth  ;  they  that 
have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life." 

WHAT  IS   HONORABLE. 

If  what  thou  doest  be  honorable,  let  all  know 
it. 


564  SENECA. 

So  Matthew  v.  15  :— 

"  Neither  do  men  light  a  candle,  and  put  it  under  a  bushel, 
but  on  a  candlestick ;  and  it  giveth  light  unto  all  that  are  in 
the  house." 

THE   DIVINITY   OF   THE   SOUL. 

Our  soul  will  have  wherewith  to  congratulate  it- 
self, when,  emerging  from  this  darkness  in  which 
it  is  involved,  it  shall  behold  no  dim  light,  but  the 
brightness  of  day,  and  be  restored  to  its  own 
heaven,  recovering  the  place  which  it  enjoyed  at 
the  moment  of  its  birth.  Its  first  origin  summons 
it  aloft. 

So  John  xvii.  5  :— 

"And  now,  O  Father,  glorify  Thou  me  with  thine  own 
self  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  Thee  before  the  world 
was." 

TKCTH   ALWAYS   THE   SAME. 

Truth  is  always  the  same  in  every  part  of  it. 

THE   POOK   MAN. 

The  poor  man  laughs  of  tener  and  more  securely. 

THE    WIDOW'S   MITE. 

Often  what  is  given  is  small,  the  result  from  it 
is  great. 

So  Mark  xii.  43  :— 

"  This  poor  widow  hath  cast  more  in  than  all  they  which 
have  cast  into  the  treasury." 

A  GOOD  MAN. 

No  man  expresses  such  a  respect  and  devotion 
to  virtue  as  he  does,  who  forfeits  the  repute  of  be- 
ing a  good  man,  that  he  may  not  lose  the  con- 
sciousness of  being  such. 


SENECA.  565 

RETIREMENT. 

Retirement  without  study  is  death,  and  the  grave  - 
of  a  living  man. 

GOD   18   EVERYWHERE   PRESENT. 

Of  what  consequence  is  it  that  anything  should 
be  concealed  from  man?  nothing  is  hidden  from 
God:  He  is  present  in  our  minds  and  comes  into 
the  midst  of  our  thoughts.  Comes,  do  I  say? — as 
if  He  were  ever  absent! 

So  Deuteronomy  xxxi.  21 : — 

"I  know  their  imagination." 

.  DRUNKENNESS. 

Drunkenness  is  nothing  else  than  voluntary 
madness. 

HIGH   HONORS. 

The  path  to  the  honors  of  life  is  rough  and 
stormy. 

NATURE. 

Nature  does  not  bestow  virtue;  to  become  good  : 
is  an  art. 

THE  WORLD. 

The  world  is  the  mighty  temple  of  the  gods. 

So  Isaiah  xvi.  1  :— 

"  The  heaven  is  my  throne,  and  the  earth  is  my  footstool : 
where  is  the  house  that  ye  build  unto  me  ?  and  where  is  the 
place  of  my  rest  ? " 

• 

THE  WORSE  TO  BE   GOVERNED   BY  THE   BETTER. 

For  it  is  the  arrangement  of  nature  that  the 
worse  should  1-c  ruled  by  the  bett "r. 


566  SENECA. 

TIME. 

|  Time  will  destroy  all  traces  even  of  those  states, 
which  thou  now  callest  magnificent  and  noble. 

So  Matthew  xxiv.  2  : — 

"  There  shall  not  be  left  here  one  stone  upon  another,  that 
shall  not  be  thrown  down." 

FATES. 

It  is  tedious  to  recount  all  the  ways  of  the  fates. 

FOLLY. 

I      It  is  rashness  to  condemn  that  of  which  thou  art 
'  ignorant. 

THE   FREEMAN.. 

No  man  is  free  who  is  a  slave  to  the  flesh. 

So  Romans  vi.  12  : — 

"Let  not  sin  therefore  reign  in  your  mortal  body,  that  ye 
should  obey  it  in  the  lusts  thereof." 

LIFE. 

This  man  lived  not,  but  merely  had  an  abode  in 
this  life :  he  died  not  lately,  but  long  ago. 

THE    POWERS    OF  THE    MIXI). 

The  powers  of  the  mind  are  nourished  and  in- 
creased by  precepts. 

THE   EFFECTS   OF   PROSPERITY. 

We  become  wiser  by  adversity,  prosperity  de- 
stroys the  idea  of  what  is  right. 

NOBODY  ^:RRS  FOR  HIMSELF. 

i  Nobody  errs  for  himself  alone,  but  scatters  his 
folly  among  his  neighbors  and  receives  theirs  in 
return. 


SENECA.  567 

So  Luke  vi.  39:— 

"  Can  the  blind  lead  the  blind?  shall  they  not  both  fall  into 
the  ditch." 

GOOD  PRECEPTS. 

Good  precepts,  if  they  are  often  found  in  thy 
mind,  are  equally  profitable  as  good,  examples. 

RESPECT  OF   PARENTS. 

Respect  of  parents  curbs  the  spirit  and  restrains 
vices. 

So  Proverbs  x.  1:— 

"  A  wise  son  maketh  a  glad  father:  but  a  foolish  son  is  the 
heaviness  of  his  mother." 

LOVE   CASTETH  OUT   FEAR. 

It  is  enough  for  God  that  He  is  worshipped  and 
loved;  love  cannot  be  mingled  with  fear. 

So  1  Johniv.  18: — 

"  There  is  no  fear  in  love:  but  perfect  love  castoth  out  fear: 
because  fear  hath  torment.  He  that  feareth  is  not  perfect  in 
love.  We  love  Him,  because  He  first  loved  us." 

HOW  GOD  IS  TO  BE  PROPITIATED. 

Dost  thou  wish  to  propitiate  the  gods?  Be 
good.  Whoever  has  imitated  them,  has  shown 
sufficient  reverence. 

So  I  Samuel  xv.  22:— 

"  Behold  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken 
than  the  fat  of  rams." 

And  Ephesians  v.  1: — 

"  Be  ye  therefore  followers  of  God,  as  dear  children." 

And  Hosea  vi.  6:— 

"  For  I  desired  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice;  and  the  knowledge 
of  God  more  than  burnt-offerings." 

GOD  REQUIRES  NOT  SERVANTS. 

God  requires  not  servants;  He  is  the  servant  of 
mankind,  is  everywhere,  and  assists  all. 


568  SENECA. 

So  Jeremiah  xxiii.  23:— 

"  Am  I  a  God  at  hand,  saith  the  Lord,  and  not  a  God  afar 
off." 

THE   UNION  OF  THE   HUMAN   RACE. 

The  society  of  man  is  like  a  vault  of  stones, 
which  would  fall  if  the  stones  did  not  rest  on  one 
another;  in  this  way  it  is  sustained. 

So  Ephesians  ii.  20,  21:— 

"  And  are  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and 
prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone; 
in  whom  all  the  building,  fitly  framed  together,  groweth  into 
an  holy  temple  in  the  Lord." 

"DEAL  THY  BREAD  TO  THE  HUNGRY." 

It  is  praiseworthy  for  a  man  to  be  kind  to  his 
fellow-men.  Shall  we  command  him  to  succor  the 
shipwrecked,  to  show  the  wanderer  his  road,  to 
share  his  bread  with  the  hungry  ? 

So  Isaiah  Iviii.  7:— 

"Is  it  not  to  deal  thy  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  that  thou 
bring  the  poor  that  art  cast  out  to  thy  house." 

LIFE   IS   A  WARFARE. 

But  life  is  a  warfare. 

So  jEschylus  (E  im.  149)  says:— 

"  Reproach  springing  from  my  dreams  has  struck  deep  into 
my  heart  and  soul,  like  the  charioteer's  firmly-grasped  whip; 
I  feel  horror,  chill  horror,  creep  over  me  from  the  never-pity- 
ing scourge.'' 

VICE. 

Thou  art  mistaken  if  thou  thinkest  the  vices  are 
born  with  us;  they  have  supervened,  they  have 
come  upon  us. 

EVERY  AGE  WILL  PRODUCE  A  CLODIUS. 

We  shall  find  Clodii  in  every  age,  seldom  Catos. 


SENECA.  569 

We  are  prone  to  evil,  because  we  are  never  with- 
out a  leader  or  companion  on  our  downward  way. 

WHAT    IS    THE    PUNISHMENT  OF   TRANSGRESSORS  ? 

The  first  and  severest  punishment  of  sinners  is 
the  feeling  of  having  sinned;  the  second  is  to  be 
always  afraid,  to  be  in  constant  dread,  to  have  no 
feeling  of  security.  We  must  confess  that  evil 
deeds  are  lashed  by  conscience,  and  that  the 
greatest  torture  arises  on  this  account,  because 
never-resting  remorse  oppresses  and  scourges  the 
mind,  no  confidence  being  placed  in  the  vouchers 
of  its  security. 

THE  GUILTY. 

It  belongs  to  the  guilty  to  tremble.    — — »    _ 

So  Job  xv.  20:— 

"  The  wicked  man  travaileth  with  pain  all  his  days." 

VICE   ALWAYS   EXISTS. 

Thou  art  mistaken  if  thou  thinkest  luxury  and 
the  neglect  of  good  manners,  and  other  things, 
which  every  man  finds  in  the  age  in  which  he  lives, 
are  the  imperfections  of  our  age.  It  is  the  men, 
not  the  times,  that  are  the  cause  of  this.  No  age  • 
has  been  free  from  vice. 

So  Romans  v.  13: — 

"  Shi  is  not  imputed  when  there  is  no  law." 

PROSPERITY   IS   A   FKEBLE   REED. 

He  leans  on  a  feeble  reed  who  takes  pleasure  on 
what  is  external  to  himself. 

A   MIND   ANXIOUS   ABOUT   THE   FUTURE. 

The  mind  that  is  anxious  about  the  future  is 
wretched. 


570  SENECA. 

Swain  says:— 

"  Let  to-morrow  take  care  of  to-morrow, 

Leave  things  of  the  future  to  fate; 

What's  the  use  to  anticipate  sorrow? 

Life's  troubles  come  never  too  late." 
And  Moore:  — 

"  Bound,  round,  while  thus  we  go  round, 

The  best  thing  a  man  can  do, 

Is  to  make  it  at  least  a  merry-go-round, 

By— sending  the  wine  round  too." 

THE      MIND      IS     SUPERIOR      TO     EVERY      KIND     OF 
FORTUNE. 

The  mind  is  the  master  over  every  kind  of  fort- 
une :  itself  acts  in  both  ways,  being  the  cause  of 
its  own  happiness  and  misery. 

ANTICIPATION  OF  EVIL. 

There  is  nothing  so  wretched  or  foolish  as  to 
anticipate  misfortunes.  What  madness  is  it  in 
your  expecting  evil  before  it  arrives? 

THE   FRAILTY   OF   MAN. 

Every  day,  every  hour,  shows  how  insignificant 
we  are,  and  by  a  fresh  proof  warns  us  if  we  forget 
our  frailty. 

DIGNITY. 

Dignity  increases  more  easily  than  it  begins. 


What  a  foolish  thing  it  is  to  promise  ourselves  a 
long  life,  who  are  not  masters  of  even  to-morrow ! 
How  mad  are  they  who  live  on  long  hopes! 

MAKE   HASTE   TO   LIVE. 

Make  haste  to  life,  and  consider  each  day  as  a 
life. 


SENECA.  571 

THE  HUMAN  MIND. 

The  mind  of  man  is  great  and  noble ;  it  allows  ; 
no  bounds  to  be  put  to  it  except  what  is  common  ' 
and  with  God. 

THE   EXAMPLE   OF   THE    GOOD. 

Think  what  advantage  there  is  in  a  good  exam- 
ple; thou  wilt  know  that  the  presence  not  less  than 
the  memory  of  good  men  is  useful. 

So  John  viii.  12:— 

"  He  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall 
have  the  light  of  life." 

TIME. 

This  day,  which  thou  fearest  as  thy  last,  is  the 
birthday  of  eternity. 

So  1  Peter  i.  3:— 

"  Bles  jai  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
which,  according  to  his  abundant  mercy,  hath  begotten  us 
again  unto  a  lively  hope,  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ 
from  the  dead." 

EVERY   AGE    FERTILE   IN    GENIUS. 

No  age  is  shut  against  great  genius.    — - 

DIFFICULT   THINGS. 

It  is  not  because  things  are  difficult  that  we  do 
not  dare  to  attempt  them,  but  they  are  difficult  be- 
cause we  do  not  dare  to  do  so. 

HOW  TO   GET   RID   OF  OUR   EVIL  PROPENSITIES. 

If  thou  wishest  to  get  rid  of  thy  evil  propensi-  | 
ties,  thou  must  keep  far  from  evil  companions. 

So  Proverbs  i.  10: — 

"  My  son.  if  sinners  entice  thee,  consent  thou  not." 


572  SENECA. 

A  BAD  CONSCIENCE. 

In  a  bad  conscience  some  things  may  make  a 
man  safe,  but  nothing  secure. 

So  Isaiah  Ivii.  21:— 

"  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked." 

RECONCILIATION. 

Let  thy  reconciliation  be  both  easy  and  un- 
doubted. 

So  Matthew  v.  25:— 

"  Agree  with  thine  adversary  quickly,  whilst  thou  art  in  the 
way  with  him." 

HOW   TO    ESCAPE    ENVY. 

Thou  shalt  escape  envy  if  thou  makest  no  show, 
if  thou  boastest  not  of  thy  fortunes,  if  thou  know- 
est  how  to  enjoy  them  thyself. 

WHY  WE   LEARN. 

We  acqtiire  learning  not  that  we  may  improve 
our  lives,  but  for  the  sake  of  learned  disputation. 

THE   NOBLE-MINDED. 

The  noble  spirit  is  that  which  gives  itself  up  to 
God,  whereas  he  is  recreant  and  mean  who  strug- 
gles against  and  thinks  ill  of  the  government  of 
the  world,  and  prefers  to  amend  the  gods  than 
himself. 

So  1  Peter  iv.  19:— 

"  Wherefore,  let  them  that  suffer  according  to  the  will  of 
God  commit  the  keeping  of  their  souls  to  Him  in  well-doing, 
as  unto  a  faithful  Creator.'' 

FATE    LEADS    THE    WILLING. 

Fate  leads  the  willing  and  drags  the  unwilling. 

This  idea  of  Seneca  is  found  in  a  fragment  of  Cleanthes:— 
"Lead  me,  O  Jupiter,  both  thou  and  Fate;  wheresoever! 


SENECA.  573 

am  directed  by  you  I  shall  follow  without  hesitation.  Even 
if  I  am  unwilling,  being  recalcitrant,  nevertheless  I  shall  ba 
obliged  to  follow." 

OLD    AGE. 

Old  age  is  an  incurable  disease.    ••  '-•- 

SOME   PASSIONS    ABE    MORE   EASILY  CUT  OFJ  THAN 
KEGULATED. 

Some  passions  cannot  be  regulated  but  must  be 
entirely  cut  off. 

LIKE   SPEECH,    LIKE   LIFE. 

Men's  conversation  resembles  their  kind  of  lives. 

THE    UNCERTAINTY    OF    LIFE. 

Nothing  will  assist  thee  more  in  acquiring  tem- 
perance in  all  tilings  than  the  constant  recollection 
how  short-lived  thou  art,  and  how  uncertain  too 
life  is. 

LOVE   OF   MONEY. 

From  the  time  that  money  began  to  be  regarded    ; 
with  honor,  the  real  value  of  things  was  forgotten.     , 

Plato  says  of  the  rich  (Leg.  v.  743):— 

"To  be  very  good  and  very  rich  is  Impossible;  the  very   — - 
rich  are  not  good." 

So  Luke  xviii.  24:— 

"How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God." 

CARE    OF    OUR    HEALTH. 

Nature  has  committed  to  us  the  care  of  what  be- 
longs to  us,  but  if  thou  attend.est  too  much  to  this 
it  is  a  fault. 

So  Ephesians  v.  29:— 

"  For  no  man  ever  yet  hated  his  own  flesh ;  but  nourisheth 
and  cherisheth  it,  even  as  the  Lord  the  church.'' 


574  SENECA. 

YOUNG   MEN  OUT   OP  A  BAND-BOX. 

You  know  some  young  men,  with  beard  and  hair 
so  trimmed,  as  if  they  had  stepped  out  of  a  band- 
box, but  you  could  expect  nothing  great  from  sucli 
/  parties.     The  conversation  is  the  index  of  the 
mind. 

MONEY  FROM  ANY  SOUKCE. 

They  do  not  inquire  why  and  whence,  but  only 
-  how  much  thou  possessest. 

THE  BEING   OF   GOD   PROVED. 

We  are  wont  to  attribute  much  to  what  all  men 
presume;  with  us  it  is  an  argument  of  truth  that 
anything  seems  true  to  all,  as  that  there  are  gods, 
we  hence  collect,  for  that  all  men  have  engrafted 
in  them  an  opinion  concerning  gods,  neither  is 
there  any  nation  so  void  of  laws  or  good  manners, 
that  it  does  not  believe  that  there  are  some  gods. 

THE   BODY. 

This  body  is  not  a  home,  but  a  place  of  enter- 
tainment, and  that  for  a  short  period. 

So  Psalm  cxix.  19:— 

"  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth." 

NATURE. 

Nature  has  given  to  us  the  seeds  of  knowledge, 
\   not  knowledge  itself. 

TO   STRIVE  AGAINST  NATURE. 

The  life  of  those  who  strive  against  nature  is  no 
otherwise  than  theirs  who  strive  against  the 
stream. 

THE   CAUSE   OF   OUR    MISFORTUNES. 

One  of  the  causes  that  leads  us  to  misfortune  is, 


SENJUCA.  575 

that  we  live  according  to  the  example  of  others, 
and  are  unwilling  to  submit  to  reason,  but  are  led 
astray  by  custom. 

So  Jeremiah  xiii.  23: — 

"  Can  the  Ethiopian  change  his  skin,  or  the  leopard  his 
spots?  then  may  ye  also  do  good,  that  are  accustomed  to  do 
evil." 

TALE-BEARERS. 

Tale-bearers  were  reputed  the  Avorst  sort  of 
men ;  but  some  there  are  who  spread  vices.  The 
speech  of  these  sort  of  men  is  productive  of  much 
mischief'  for  although  it  hurts  not  instantly,  yet 
it  leaves  some  seeds  in  the  mind,  and  it  follows  us 
even  when  we  have  left  them,  likely  hereafter  to 
enkindle  in  us  a  new  evil. 

VOYAGE   TO   INDIA  WESTWARD. 

The  inquisitive  examiner  who  looks  around  him 
despises  the  narrow  limits  of  this  world  in  which 
he  dwells.  For  how  short,  after  all,  is  the  distance 
that  intervenes  between  the  remote  shores  of 
Spain  and  the  Indies!  a  space  passed  over  in  a 
very  few  short  days  if  a  favorable  wind  fills  his 
sails. 

PROOF   OF  THE    DIVINITY  OF   THE   SOUL. 

The  soul  has  this  proof  of  its  divine  origin,  that 
divine  things  delight  it. 

TRUTH   AND   ERROR. 

There  is  an  end  to  truth:  error  is  never-endimv. 

i 

DISEASE   NOT  REMOVED    BY  THE   SPLENDOR 
AROUND. 

It  matters  not  whether  you  place  the  sick  man 
on  a  wooden  bed  or  one  of  gold;  wherever  you  lay 
him,  he  carries  his  disease  along  with  him. 


676  SENECA. 

GOD   LOVETH   NOT   TEMPLES    MADE   WITH   IIANI>S. 

God  is  not  to  be  worshipped  with  sacrifices  and 
blood:  for  what  pleasure  can  He  have  in  the 
slaughter  of  the  innocent?  but  with  a  pure  mind, 
a  good  and  honest  purpose.  Temples  are  not  to 
be  built  for  Him  with  stones  piled  on  high:  God 
is  to  be  consecrated  in  the  breast  of  each. 


GOD. 

The  same  being  whom  we  call  Jupiter,  the 
wisest  men  regard  as  the  keeper  and  protector  of 
the  universe,  a  spirit  and  a  mind,  the  Lord  and 
Maker  of  this  lower  world,  to  whom  all  names  are 
suitable.  Wilt  thou  call  him  Destiny?  Thou 
wilt  not  err.  On  him  depend  all  things,  and  all 
the  causes  of  causes  are  from  him.  Wilt  thou  call 
him  Providence?  Thou  wilt  say  well.  For  it  is 
his  wisdom  that  provides  for  this  world  that  it  be 
without  confusion  and  proceed  on  its  course  with- 
out change.  Wilt  thou  call  him  Nature?  Thou 
wilt  not  commit  a  mistake.  For  all  things  have 
had  their  beginning  from  him,  in  whom  we  live 
and  move  and  have  our  being.  Wilt  thou  call  him 
the  World?  Thou  wilt  not  be  deceived.  For  he 
is  all  that  thou  seest,  wholly  infused  into  his  parts 
and  sustaining  himself  by  his  own  power. 

The  following  is  the  scholium  annexed  to  the  principia  of 
Newton  (Cambridge,  1713),  which  may  be.  considered  as  the 
germ  of  the  celebrated  argument  a  priori  for  the  existence  of 
God:— 

"God  is  eternal  and  infinite,  omnipotent  and  omniscient; 
that  is,  He  endures  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  and  is 
present  from  infinity  to  infinity.  He  is  not  eternity  nor  in- 
finity, but  eternal  and  infinite.  He  is  not  duration  or  space, 
but  he  endures  and  is  present.  He  endures  always  and  is 
present  everywhere,  and  by  existing  always  and  everywhere, 
constitutes  duration  and  space." 


SENECA.  577 


ALL   MUST  DIE. 


We  are  all  reserved  for  death.  All  this  people, 
whom  thou  seest,  whom  thou  thinkest  to  be  any- 
where, nature  will  speedily  recall  and  bury;  nor  is 
there  any  question  about  the  thing,  but  about  the 
day. 


FATE. 


Fate  goes  its  round,  and  if  it  has  missed  one 
thing  for  a  long  time,  it  at  last  finds  it  out.  It 
afflicts  some  more  rarely,  others  more  often,  but 
leaves  nothing  exempt  and  free  from  evil. 

FEAR. 

If  you  wish  to  fear  nothing,  think  that  every- 
thing is  to  be  feared. 

NO   TEMPEST   OF    LONG  DURATION. 

N"o  tempest  continues  for  a  long  time :  the  more  ( 
strength  storms  have,  the  less  time  they  last. 

THE   DEEP   THINGS   OF   GOD. 

It  was  the  act  of  a  lofty  spirit  to  examine  the 
hidden  places  of  the  nature  of  things,  and  not  con- 
tent with  their  exterior  to  look  into,  and  descend 
into,  the  deep  things  of  God. 

So  1  Corinthians  ii.  10:— 

"The  Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea  the  deep  things  of 
God." 

37 


578  SILIUS  1TALICUS. 

SILIUS  ITALICUS. 

BORN  A.D.  25 — DIED  A.D.  100. 

C.  SILIUS  ITALICUS,  born  about  A.D.  25,  became 
famed  at  an  early  age  as  a  pleader  at  the  bar.  He 
was  raised  to  the  consulship  A.D.  65,  the  year  in 
which  Nero  perished.  He  passed  through  a  pros- 
perous life  amidst  very  exciting  scenes,  and  at  last 
determined  to  retire  from  the  busy  world  that  he 
might  enjoy  the  tranquillity  of  a  literary  life.  He 
passed  his  time  chiefly  near  Puteoli,  at  the  favor- 
ite villa  of  Cicero,  called  Academia.  Here  he 
lived  happily  for  many  years,  till  falling  into  an 
incurable  disease  he  determined  to  leave  life,  which 
he  did  by  starving  himself  A.D.  100.  He  wrote  an 
heroic  poem  in  seventeen  books,  entitled  "  Pu- 
nica,"  which  has  reached  us  entire. 

DILIGENCE  IN  WAK. 

In  time  of  war  we  must  be  speedy  in  execution, 
and  advance  to  honor  through  the  path  of  danger. 

SENATE   OF   ROME. 

The  consul  summons  a  solemn  council;  men 
distinguished  by  unstained  poverty,  whose  names 
are  known  for  triumphs  in  war,  a  senate  that 
equals  the  gods  in  virtue.  Valiant  deeds  and  a 
sacred  regard  of  right  raise  them  aloft;  unshorn 
hair,  a  simple  diet,  hands  familiar  with  the  crooked 
plough;  content  with  little,  hearts  whom  no  desire 
of  wealth  torments,  who  often  retired  to  their 
small  cottage  in  triumphal  cars. 

FAITH. 

Nowhere  does  faith  remain  long  to  mortals  when 
fortunes  fails  them. 


SILIUS  ITALICUS.  579 

TKUE   VIRTUE. 

True  virtue  advances  upwards  through  difficul- 
ties, go  on  to  obtain  that  praise  which  is  not  easily 
gained  by  the  bulk  of  mankind,  and  is  little 
known. 

DEATH  MUST   COME   IN  PEACE   OR  WAR. 

In  peace  as  well  as  war  an  end  to  life  must  at 
last  come;  our  first  day  gave  being  to  our  last;  a 
mighty  spirit  bestows  on  few  a  never-ending  name, 
on  those  only  whom  the  father  of  the  gods  des- 
tines for  the  blessed  abodes  above. 

SLOTH. 

Valor,  when  it  has  been  gradually  overpowered 
by  the  delicious  poison  of  sloth,  grows  torpid. 

ADVERSE  FORTUNE   IMPROVES   MAX. 

Adversity  tries  men,  and  virtue  undaunted 
climbs  by  rough  paths  upward  to  glory. 

SHORT  IS  THE  CHANCE  OF  SUCCESS. 

Away  with  delay;  short-lived  is  the  chance  of 
high  fortune. 

THE   WHEEL  OF  TIME. 

The  wheel  of  time  rolls  downward  through 
various  chances. 

GLORY. 

Glory  is  a  torch  to  kindle  the  noble  mind,  and 
confidence  in  the  uncertain  results  of  Mars  is  fool- 
ish. 

PATIENCE. 

It  is  not  so  honorable  to  avoid  misfortunes  by 


580  8ILIUS  ITALIC  US. 

our  vigilance  as  to  overcome  them  by  noble  pa- 
tience. 

Euripides (Aiol.  FT.  20)  says:— 

"  Distresses  must  be  endured ;  whoever  bears  with  patience 
the  inflictions  of  the  gods,  that  man  is  wise." 

MISERY  REMINDS   MAX   OF   GOD. 

When  we  are  in  misery  then  springs  up  a  rever- 
ence of  the  gods :  the  prosperous  seldom  approach 
the  sacred  altar. 

TO  IN  JUKE  OUR  COUNTRY. 

Hear  and  keep  this  fixed  forever  in  thy  breast; 
to  be  incensed  against  thy  country  is  impious,  nor 
is  there  any  sin  more  heinous  that  conducts  man 
to  the  grave. 

THE   GAULS. 

Besides  the  Gauls  began  to  look  toward  home,  a 
people  fierce  at  the  first  onset,  but  unsteady;  a 
race  boastful  in  words,  and  of  a  light,  inconstant 
mind;  they  grieved  to  see  a  war  carried  on  with- 
out slaughter  (a  thing  to  them  unknown),  and  that 
their  right  hands,  while  they  stood  in  arms,  should 
grow  stiff  and  dry  from  blood. 

ADVERSITY  GROWS   GREATER  THROUGH   FEAR. 

The  frowns  of  fortune  are  deepened  to  the  timid 
when  there  is  no  resistance,  and  adverse  circum- 
stances go  on  increasing  by  yielding  to  fear. 

ADVERSITY. 

For  brave  men  ought  not  to  be  cast  down  by 
adversity. 

FAITH  TO   BE   KEPT   IN  DISTRESS. 

It  is  noble,  and  regarded  as  the  noblest  both 


SILIUS  ITALICUS.  581 

among  nations  and  individuals,  to  keep  faith  in 

adversity. 

TRUE   KINDNESS. 

Then  is  the  time  to  give  proof  of  kindly  feel- 
ings, -when  prosperity  has  fled,  and  misfortunes 
call  for  aid :  for  to  show  kindness  to  the  fortunate 
in  no  way  does  honor  to  the  noble. 

PEACE. 

Peace  is  the  best  of  things  known  to  mortals; 
peace  brings  greater  honor  than  innumerable  tri- 
umphs: peace  that  is  able  to  keep  the  common 
safety,  and  to  make  all  citizens  equal  to  each  other. 

DEATH. 
Every  honor  is  ended  by  death. 

LABORS   OF   LIFE. 

Overcome  every  labor  by  virtuous  conduct. 

VIRTUE   HER   OWN   REWARD. 

Virtue  herself  is  her  noblest  reward;  yet  it  is 
pleasant  in  the  world  to  come,  when  life  continues 
among  the  gods,  and  oblivion  does  not  destroy 
glory. 

BE   DARING   IN   AVAR. 

Supineness  in  war  is  disgraceful.  It  is  by  dar- 
ing that  thou  mayest  bring  wars  to  a  successful 
result.  Sloth  never  yet  raised  herself  to  the  stars. 
Hasten  on  thy  mighty  deeds;  black  death  impends 
over  thee  in  the  midst  of  thy  labors. 

THE  JOYS   OF   LIFE. 

How  many  things  God  has  formed  for  joyous 


532  8TATIUS. 

purposes,  and  has  distributed  pleasures  with  a  full 
right  hand. 

SECOND  BIBTH. 

A  man  cannot  be  born  twice. 

So  John  iii.  4:— 

"  How  can  a  inau  be  born  when  he  is  old?  can  he  enter  the 
second  time  into  his  mother's  womb,  and  be  born?  " 

THE   DWELLING   OF  VIRTUE. 

My  house  is  chaste  and  my  household  gods 
stand  on  a  lofty  hill ;  a  steep  path  up  a  rocky  de- 
clivity leads  to  it:  at  first  toilsome  labor  attends 
it,  for  I  will  not  deceive :  he  who  wishes  to  enter 
must  exert  all  his  energy:  by  and  by  high  above 
thou  shalt  behold  beneath  thee  the  race  of  men. 

This  is  not  unlike  the  following  passage  from  Milton  "  On 
Education  ":— 

"  I  will  point  out  to  you  the  right  path  of  a  virtuous  and 
noble  education;  laborious,  indeed,  at  the  first  ascent,  but  al- 
so so  smooth,  so  green,  so  full  of  goodly  prospects  and  melo- 
dious sounds  on  every  side,  that  the  harp  of  Orpheus  was  not 
more  charming." 

So  Psalm  xxxvii.  34: — 

"  Wait  on  the  Lord  and  keep  His  ways." 


STATIUS. 

BORN  ABOUT  A.D.  61 — DIED  ABOUT  A.D.  96. 

P.  PAPINIUS  STATIUS  was  the  son  of  P.  Papinius 
Statius,  the  preceptor  of  Domitian,  being  born  at 
Naples.  Of  his  personal  history  little  is  known, 
as  he  is  mentioned  by  no  ancient  author  except 
Juvenal.  He  gained  the  prize  three  times  at  the 


STATIUS.  583 

Alban  games  (Suet.  Dom.  4).  He  is  said  to  have 
been  stabbed  with  a  stilus  by  Domitian.  Several 
of  his  works  are  extant. 

THE   DEMAGOGUE. 

Then  one  whose  nature  was  to  attack  the  noble 
with  the  poisonous  slander  of  his  tongue,  and  who 
was  unwilling  to  submit  to  the  leaders  placed  over 
him,  rose  up  to  speak. 

A  TIGER. 

As  the  tiger,  when  he  hears  the  sound  of  the 
approaching  huntsmen,  rustles  his  spotted  skin, 
shaking  off  his  lazy  sleep;  he  wakes  to  the  com- 
bat, expands  his  jaws  and  points  his  claws;  then 
bounds  into  the  midst  of  the  bands,  and  bears  off 
his  reeking  prey,  food  for  his  bloody  whelps. 

THE   DESEBVING. 

A  just  fortune  awaits  the  deserving. 

ENVY. 

There  is  one  above  all  others,  who  always  acts 
opposed  to  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  therefore 
with  difficulty  reaches  the  gods  above,  prone  to 
insult  and  sickening  at  another's  joys. 
Thomson  ("The  Seasons  "— "  Spring,"  1.  283)  says:— 
"  Base  envy  withers  at  another's  joy, 
And  hates  that  excellence  it  cannot  reach." 

AMBITION. 

O  blinded  counsels  of  the  guilty !  O  wickedness, 
always  full  of  fearful  forebodings ! 

FEAK. 

Then  fear,  the  very  worst  prophet  in  misfort- 
unes, anticipates  many  evils. 


584  STATIUS. 

TO-MORROW. 

It  is  unlawful  for  men  to  know  what  may  be  to- 
morrow. 

Simonides  of  Ceos  (Fr.  28,  S.)  says  much  to  the  same  ef- 
fect:— 

"  Being  a  mortal,  do  not  pretend  to  say  what  to-morrow  will 
bring  forth,  nor  when  you  see  a  man  happy,  how  long  he  will 
be  so;  for  the  change  is  quicker  than  that  of  a  long- winged 
fly." 

BLINDNESS  OF  MAN. 

O  Chance,  and  the  minds  of  men  blind  to  futu- 
rity! 

MERCY. 
It  is  a  noble  act  to  bestow  life  on  the  vanquished. 

PEACE. 

Peace  is  sought  for  by  the  cruelty  of  war. 

LOVE  OF  LIFE. 

The  love  of  life,  the  last  that  lingers  in  the  hu- 
man breast. 

SLEEP. 

Beside  the  cloudy  confines  of  the  western  night 
and  the  distant  Ethiopians,  there  is  a  musty  grove, 
impenetrable  to  the  brightest  star,  and  under  the 
hollow  rocks  an  immense  cave  descends  into  the 
bowels  of  the  mountain,  where  sluggish  Nature 
has  placed  the  halls  of  lazy  Sleep  and  the  drowsy 
god.  Motionless  Best  and  dark  Oblivion  stand  on 
guard,  and  torpid  Sloth  with  never  wakeful  eye. 
At  the  porch  sits  Ease,  and  speechless  Silence  with 
close  contracted  wiiii^s,  driving  the  murmuring 
winds  from  the  roof,  forbidding  the  foliage  to  rus- 
tle, or  the  birds  to  twitter:  here  no  roaring  of  the 


XT  ATI  US.  585 

ocean,  though  all  the  shores  resound,  no  crashing 
of  the  thunder:  the  stream  itself,  gliding  along 
the  deep  valleys  close  to  the  grotfco,  rolls  silently 
between  the  rocks  and  cliffs:  the  sable  herds 
and  flocks  recline  at  ease  on  the  ground:  the 
newly-sprung  grass  withers,  and  the  vapor  makes 
the  herbage  languid.  Glowing  Vulcan  had  formed 
a  thousand  statues  of  the  god  within :  close  by  it 
is  wreathed  Pleasure;  here,  in  attendance,  is  Toil 
inclined  to  rest:  here  the  same  couch  receives 
Love  and  Wine:  deep,  deep  within,  he  lies  with 
his  twin-brother  Death,  a  sad  image  to  none.  Be- 
neath the  dew-bespangled  cavern,  the  god  himself, 
released  from  cares,  crowned  with  drowsy  flow- 
ers, lay  on  tapestry:  his  dress  sends  forth  exhala- 
tions, his  couch  is  warm  with  his  lazy  body,  and 
above  the  bed  a  dark  vapor  rises  from  his  half- 
shut  mouth.  The  one  hand  sustains  his  hair 
hanging  over  his  left  temple,  the  other  has  dropped 
the  horn  unheeded. 

TAKE   TIME. 

Give  not  reins  to  your  inflamed  passions :  take 
time  and  grant  a  little  delay:  impetuosity  man- 
ages affairs  badly. 

MUSING   ON  THE   BELOVED   DEAD. 

Do  thou  soothe  thy  troubled  breast,  do  thou  for- 
bid tears  to  flow  down  thy  cheeks,  and  fill  the 
blessed    night    with  pleasing  musings,  and   thy 
countenance  if  still  alive. 
Tennyson  (In  Mem.  cxv.)  imitates  this: — 
"  The  face  will  shine 
Upon  me,  while  I  muse  alone; 
And  that  dear  voice  I  once  have  known, 
Still  speaks  to  me  of  me  and  mine ! '' 


586  TACITUS. 

THE   GODS   ABE   SUBJECT   TO   LAAV. 

The  gods  also  are  subject  to  law,  the  rapid  choir 
of  stars,  the  moon  is  subject,  nor  does  the  sun  fol- 
low its  appointed  course  without  having  been  so 
ordained. 

So  Sophocles  (Ajax,  669)  says:— 

"  For  all  that  is  dreadful  and  all  that  is  mightiest  giveaway 
to  law.  First  snow-faced  winters  yield  to  fruitful  summers, 
and  the  orb  of  murky  night  gives  place  to  the  day  with  his 
white  steeds  to  kindle  his  light,  and  the  blast  of  the  dreadful 
winds  hath  lulled  the  roaring  main,  nay,  all  o'erpowering 
sleep  looses  where  he  has  bound,  nor  always  holds  us  cap- 
tive." 

Again  Shakespeare  ("Troilus  and  Cressida,"  act  i.  ac.  3) 
says:— 

"  The  heavens  themselves,  the  planets,  and  this  centre, 
Observe  degree,  priority,  and  place, 
Insisture,  course,  proportion,  season,  form, 
Office,  and  custom,  in  all  line  of  order." 


TACITUS. 

BOBX  ABOUT  A.D.  59 — DIED  ABOUT  A.D.  120. 

P.  COBNELIUS  TACITUS  is  supposed  by  some  to 
have  been  born  at  Interamna,  the  modern  Terni, 
but  this  is  doubtful.  We  find  him  advanced  to 
office  by  Vespasian,  and  to  have  been  a  favorite 
of  his  sons  Titus  and  Domitian.  He  married  the 
daughter  of  C.  Julius  Agricola,  who  was  consul 
A.D.  77.  He  was  praetor  A.D.  £8,  and  in  the  reign 
of  Xerva,  A.D.  97,  he  was  appointed  consul  suffec- 
tus  in  the  place  of  T.  Verginius  Rufus,  who  had 
died  in  that  year.  He  was  the  intimate  friend  of 
Pliny  the  younger,  and  in  the  collection  of  Pliny's 


TACITUS.  587 

Letters  we  find  eleven  addressed  to  Tacitus.  The 
precise  time  of  his  death  is  unknown,  nor  is  it 
certain  whether  he  left  any  family,  though  the 
Emperor  Tacitus  claimed  to  be  descended  from 
the  historian. 

PRIVATE   HATRED. 

It  is  lawful  to  bury  private  hatred  when  it  is  for 
the  public  advantage. 

So  Romans  (xiv.  19)  :— 

"  Let  us  therefore  follow  after  the  things  which  make  for 
peace,  and  things  wherewith  one  may  edify  another." 

TRAITORS. 

Traitors  are  hateful  even  to  those  who  gain  by 
their  treason. 

HATRED. 

Sowing  the  seeds  of  hatred,  which  would  lie  hid 
for  a  long  period,  and  gathering  strength  would 
spring  up  at  some  distant  day. 

INSTABILITY   OF   HUMAN   AFFAIRS. 

Alleging  the  instability  of  human  affairs,  and 
the  danger  always  increasing  in  proportion  to  the 
eminence  which  a  man  reaches. 

PRUDENCE. 

1  We  accomplish  more  by  prudence  than  by  vio- 
lence. 

DOMESTIC   EXPENSES. 

In  domestic  expenses,  such  as  slaves,  plate,  and 
what  is  necessary  for  life,  there  is  nothing  in  it- 
self excessive,  nothing  mean  but  what  is  made  so 
by  the  circumstances  of  the  parties.  The  only 


588  TACITUS. 

reason  why  the  fortune  of  a  senator  should  differ 
from  the  qualification  of  a  knight  is  not  that  they 
are  different  in  nature,  hut  that  they  should  ex- 
cel each  other  in  station,  rank,  and  honors,  and 
those  other  things  which  are  for  the  recreation  of 
the  mind  and  the  health  of  the  body.  Unless  per- 
haps you  are  inclined  to  maintain  that  the  most 
illustrious  ought  to  submit  to  weightier  anxieties 
and  greater  dangers,  while  they  are  without  the 
means  to  soothe  their  anxieties  and  dangers. 

FALSE   COMPASSION. 

If  we  yield  to  false  compassion,  industry  will 
go  to  ruin,  sloth  will  predominate,  if  man  has 
nothing  to  hope  or  fear  from  his  own  exertions;  all 
being  secure  of  sul  sistence,  will  look  to  their 
neighbors  for  support,  being  idle  in  their  own 
business  and  a  burden  to  the  public. 


Truth  is  brought  to  light  by  time  and  reflection, 
Avhile  falsehood  gathers  strength  from  precipita- 
tion and  bustle. 

HOW  THE  DEAD  AKE  TO  BE  REVERENCED. 

The  chief  duty  of  friends  is  not  to  attend  the 
remains  of  the  dea  1  with  unavailing  lamentation, 
but  to  remember  his  wishes  and  execute  his  com- 
mands. 

So  Proverbs  (x.  7) : — 

"  The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed." 

FALSE   GRIEF. 

Kone  grieve  with  so  much  ostentation  as  those 
v  ho  in  their  hearts  rejoire  at  the  event. 


TACITUS.  589 

DAY   OF   MOURNING. 

On  the  day  that  the  remains  of  Augustus  were 
conveyed  to  the  tomb,  there  was  dreary  desolation 
with  passionate  sorrow. 

THE   COMMONWEALTH. 

Whatever  be  the  fate  of  noble  families,  the  com- 
monwealth is  immortal. 

FORTUNE   TUKNS   EVERYTHING  TO   A   JEST. 

When  we  review  what  has  been  doing  in  the 
world,  is  it  not  evident  that  in  all  transactions, 
whether  of  ancient  or  of  modern  date,  some 
strange  caprice  of  fortune  turns  all  human  wisdom 
to  a  jest? 

LAWS  IN  A  CORRUPT  STATE. 

When  the  state  is  most  corrupt,  the  laws  are 
most  numerous. 


Even  war  is  preferable  to  a  wretched  and  dis- 
honorable peace. 

Franklin  (Letter  to  Quincy,  Sept.  11,  1773)  says:— 
"  There  never  was  a  good  war  or  a  bad  peace." 
And  S.  Butler  (Speeches  in  the  Rump  Parliament)  says: — 
"  It  hath  been  said  that  an  unjust  peace  is  to  be  preferred 
before  a  just  war." 

DISTEMPERS   OF   THE   BODY  AND   MIND. 

Chronic  diseases  of  the  body  thou  canst  not  cure 
except  by  harsh,  and  violent  remedies;  the  heart, 
too,  sick  to  the  very  core  with  vice,  corrupted  and 
corrupting,  requires  an  antidote  as  strong  as  the 
poison  that  inflames  our  passions. 

So  Matthew  (xviii.  8)  :— 

"  Wherefore  if  thy  hand  or  thy  foot  offend  thee,  cut  them 


590  TACITUS. 

off,  and  cast  them  from  thee:  it  Is  "better  for  thee  to  enter  into 
life  halt  or  maimed,  rather  than  having  two  hands  or  two  feet 
to  be  cast  into  everlasting  fire." 

SAYING  OF  TIBERIUS. 

We  are  informed  by  tradition  that  Tiberius,  as 
often  as  he  went  from  the  Senate-house,  used  to 
exclaim  in  Greek,  "  Devoted  men,  how  they  rush 
headlong  into  bondage!" 

CONSPICUOUS  BY  ABSENCE. 

He  shone  with  the  greater  splendor  because  he 
was  not  seen. 
This  expression  is  the  French— 

"  Briller  par  son  absence." 

CHASTITY. 

When  a  woman  has  lost  her  chastity,  she  will 
shrink  from  no  crime. 
Scott  says:— 

"We hold  our  greyhound  in  our  hand, 

Our  falcon  on  our  glove; 
But  where  shall  we  find  leash  or  band 

For  dame  that  loves  to  rove?  " 
"  Where  the  heart  is  past  hope,  the  face  is  past  shame." 

KINDNESSES. 

Obligations  are  only  then  acknowledged,  when 
it  seems  in  our  power  to  requite  them;  if  they 
exceed  our  ability,  gratitude  gives  way  to  our 
hatred. 

INFORMERS. 

In  this  way  informers,  a  race  of  men  the  bane 
and  scourge  of  society,  never  having  been  suffi- 
ciently curbed  by  punishment,  were  drawn  forth 
by  the  wages  of  iniquity. 


TACITUS.  591 

THINGS    SLIGHT    IN    APPEARANCE    MEEIT    ATTEN- 
TION. 

it  would  lie  not  without  advantage  to  examine 
these  things,  slight  indeed  in  appearance,  but 
which  are  often  the  secret  springs  of  the  most  im- 
portant events. 

THE   BRITISH   CONSTITUTION. 

In  all .  nations  the  supreme  authority  is  vested 
either  in  the  people,  the  nobles  or  a  single  indi- 
vidual. A  constitution  composed  of  these  three 
simple  forms  may,  in  theory,  be  praised,  but  can 
never  exist  in  fact,  or  if  it  should,  it  will  be  but 
of  short  duration. 

EXAMPLE. 

Few  are  able  by  their  own  reflection  to  draw 
the  line  between  vice  and  virtue,  or  to  separate 
the  useful  from  that  which  is  the  opposite ;  many 
learn  experience  by  what  happens  to  others. 

THE   LAST  OF   THE   ROMANS. 

Cremutius  Cordus  is  accused  of  a  new  and,  till 
that  time,  unheard-of  crime,  that,  having  pub- 
lished a  series  of  annals,  he  eulogized  Brutus,  he 
had  styled  C.  Cassius  the  last  of  the  Romans. 

CALUMNY. 

Calumny  when  disregarded  is  soon  forgotten  by 
the  world;  if  you  get  in  a  passion,  it  seems  to 
have  a  foundation  of  truth. 

POSTERITY. 

Posterity  gives  to  every  man  his  true  value  and 
proper  honor. 


5;«  TAdTl'S. 

TALENTS   PROSCBIBED   BY  TYRANTS. 

Wherefore  we  may  well  laugh  at  the  folly  of 
those  who  think  that  they  are  able  by  an  arbitrary 
act  to  extinguish  the  light  of  truth  and  prevent  it 
reaching  posterity.  For  genius  triumphs  under 
oppression;  persecute  the  author  and  you  enhance 
the  value  of  his  work.  Foreign  tyi-ants,  and  all 
who  have  adopted  this  barbarous  policy,  have 
done  nothing  but  record  their  own  disgrace,  and 
give  the  author  a  passport  to  immortality* 

So  Matthew  xxiv.  35: — 

"  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  shall 
not  pass  away." 

PRAYER  OF  A  GOOD  MAN. 

Piles  of  stones  when  the  judgment  of  posterity 
rises  to  execration  are  mere  charnel  houses.  I 
now,  therefore,  address  myself  to  thy  allies  of  the 
empire,  the  citizens  of  Rome,  and  the  immortal 
gods :  to  the  gods  it  is  my  prayer  that,  to  the  end 
of  life,  they  may  grant  the  blessing  of  an  undis- 
turbed, clear,  collected  mind,  with  a  due  sense  of 
laws,  both  human  and  divine.  Of  mankind  I  re- 
quest, that,  when  I  am  no  more,  they  will  do  jus- 
tice to  my  memory,  and  with  kind  acknowledg- 
ments, record  my  name  and  the  actions  of  my  life. 

A   MIND   ENFEEBLED. 

When  the  mind  of  man  is  enfeebled  by  misfort- 
unes, he  bursts  into  tears. 

TYRANTS. 

So  true  is  the  saying  of  the  great  philosopher, 
the  oracle  of  ancient  wisdom,  that  if  the  minds  of 
tyrants  were  laid  open  to  our  view,  we  should  see 
them  gashed  and  mangled  with  the  whips  and 


TACITUS.  593 

stings  of  horror  and  remorse.  By  blows  and 
stripes  the  flesh  is  made  to  quiver;  and  in  like 
manner,  cruelty  and  inordinate  passions,  malice 
and  evil  deeds,  become  internal  executioners,  and, 
with  increasing  torture,  goad  and  lacerate  the 
heart. 

PLANS   OF   REFORMATION. 

Like  most  plans  of  reformation,  it  was  embraced 
at  first  with  ardor;  but  the  novelty  ceased,  and 
the  scheme  ended  in  nothing. 

THE  MOB. 

Things  are  neither  good  nor  bad,  as  they  appear 
to  the  judgment  of  the  mob. 

MAN  OF   FORTITUDE. 

There  are  many  who  encounter  adversity,  that 
are  happy ;  while  some  in  the  midst  of  riches  are 
miserable:  everything  depends  on  the  fortitude 
with  which  the  former  bear  their  misfortune,  and 
on  the  manner  in  which  the  latter  employ  their 
wealth. 

CAPACITY  FOR  BUSINESS. 

Not  for  any  extraordinary  talents,  but  because 
he  had  a  capacity  of  a  level  for  business,  and  not 
above  it. 

DEMOCRACY. 

A  regular  democracy  holds  too  much  of  civil 
liberty;  while  the  domination  of  the  few  differs 
but  little  from  absolute  monarchy. 

'  PRECEDENTS. 

The  measure  which  I  now  defend  by  examples 
38 


594  TACITUS. 

will,  at  a  future  day,  become  another  precedent. 
It  is  now  a  new  regulation;  in  time  it  will  be  his- 
tory. 

EMBELLISHMENT  OF  A  STORY. 

A  story  embellished  merely  to  create  astonish- 
ment. 

STOLEN   WATERS. 

Things  forbidden  have  a  secret  charm. 

POPULAR  OPINION. 

In  human  affairs  there  is  nothing  so  unstable 
jvrid  fluctuating  as  the  fancied  pre-eminence  which 
depends  on  popular  opinion,  when  there  is  no 
solid  foundation  to  support  it. 

LOVERS'  QUARRELS. 

Then  there  is  the  usual  scene  when  lovers'  are 
excited  with  each  other,  quarrels,  entreaties,  re- 
proaches, and  then  fondling  reconcilement. 

HOW  PROJECTS    OF    GREAT    IMPORTANCE    ARE 
FRUSTRATED. 

Projects  of  great  importance  are  frequently 
frustrated  by  envy  and  fear. 

THE  APPEARANCE  OF  NATURE  REMAINS. 

The  everlasting  hills  are  not  changed  like  the 
faces  of  men. 

DOING  EVIL  THAT  GOOD  MAY  COME. 

Every  striking  example  has  some  injustice 
mixed  up  with  it:  individuals  suffer  while  the 
public  derive  benefit. 


TACITUS.  595 

THE  AGENTS  IN  EVIL  ACTIONS. 

The  assistants  in  the  commission  of  crimes  are 
always  regarded  as  if  they  were  reproaching  the 
act. 

NEW    BROOMS. 

Magistrates  discharge  their  duties  best  at  the 
beginning,  and  fall  off  at  the  conclusion. 

THE   DESIEE   OF   PERSONAL   SAFETY. 

The  desire  of  personal  safety  is  always  against 
every  great  and  noble  enterprise. 

LUST   OF   POWER. 

The  lust  of  power  is  the  strongest  in  the  human 
breast. 

Shakespeare  ("  Henry  VIII.,"  act  iil.  sc.  2)  says: — 
"  Fling  away  ambition ; 
By  that  sin  angels  fell." 

THE   DESIRE   OF   POWER. 

The  desire  of  power  is  stronger  than  all  other 
feelings. 

THE  BOLD. 

Even  the  bravest  men  are  not  proof  against  a 
surprise. 

THE   SLOTHFUL. 

Many  enterprises  succeed  by  trying,  which  seem 
impracticable  to  little  minds. 

CUTTING   JOKES. 

He  had  often  made  the  prince  the  subject  of  his 
raillery;  and  raillery,  when  seasoned  with  truth, 
never  fails  to  leave  a  sting  that  festers  in  the  mem- 
ory. 


596  TACITUS. 

EFFECT  OF  INDOLENCE. 

While  other  men  have  been  advanced  to  emi- 
nence by  industry,  this  man  succeeded  by  mere 
sluggishness  and  indolence. 

ARBITER  OF  TASTE. 

Being  in  favor  at  court,  and  cherished  as  the 
companion  of  Nero  in  his  select  parties,  he  was 
allowed  to  be  the  arbiter  of  taste  and  elegance. 

CALUMNY. 

Spleen  and  calumny  are  devoured  with  a  greedy 
ear.  Flattery  wears  a  badge  of  servitude:  while 
in  detraction  and  invective  there  appears  an  un- 
real kind  of  liberty. 

NO   CENSORSHIP   OF   THE   PRESS. 

Through  the  rare  felicity  of  the  times,  you  are 
permitted  to  think  what  you  please,  and  to  publish 
what  you  think. 

So  John  xviii.  23:— 

"  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil;  but  if  well, 
why  smitest  thou  me?  " 

SELF-INTEREST. 

Self-interest,  the  bane  of  all  true  affection. 

KOMAN  PEOPLE. 

For  it  is  not  here  as  in  other  nations  subject  to 
monarchy  that  a  hereditary  despotism  exists  in  a 
single  family  and  slavery  in  all  the  rest;  but  you 
are  destined  to  bear  sway  over  a  nation,  who  are 
equally  incapable  of  entire  slavery  and  of  entire 
frfeedom. 

A  SUCCESSOR. 
The  man  whom  the  public  voice  has  named  for 


TACITUS:  597 

the  succession  is  sure  to  be  suspected  by  the  reign- 
ing prince. 

THE   MOB   READY   TO   APPLAUD   ANY   PRINCE. 

The  mob  have  neither  judgment  nor  principle, 
ready  to  bawl  for  the  reverse  of  what  they  desired 
in  the  morning.  To  be  ready  with  shouts  and 
vociferations,  let  who  will  be  the  reigning  prince, 
has  been  in  all  ages  the  zeal  of  the  vulgar. 

CRIMES. 

Crimes    succeed  by    sudden  despatch,    honest 
counsels  gain  vigor  by  delay. 
So  Romans  vi.  12:— 
"  Let  not  sin  therefore  reign  in  your  mortal  body." 

TO   MEET    DANGER  WITH   FORTITUDE. 

If  a  man  must  fall  he  should  manfully  meet  the 
danger. 

THE   COWARD   IS    A   BOASTER   AFTER   BATTLE. 

Every  coward,  who  showed  his  timidity  in  the 
hour  of  danger,  was  lavish  of  words  and  playing 
the  braggart  with  his  tongue  after  the  battle. 

DELAY. 

There  is  no  room  for  hesitation  in  any  enterprise 
which  cannot  be  justified  unless  it  be  successful. 

FOREBODING   OF   A   STORM. 

A  deep  and  sullen  silence  prevailed.  The  very 
rabble  was  hushed.  Amazement  sat  on  every 
face.  Their  eyes  watched  every  motion,  and  their 
ears  caught  every  sound.  The  interval  was  liig 
with  terror;  it  was  neither  a  tumult  nor  a  settled 
calm,  but  rather  s-uch  an  awful  stillness  as  always 
indicates  mighty  terror  and  mighty  fury. 


598  TACITUS. 

NOT   TO   COME    UP   TO   EXPECTATIONS. 

While  no  higher  than  a  private  citizen,  his  merit 
was  thought  superior  to  his  rank;  and  the  suf- 
frages of  mankind  would  have  pronounced  him 
worthy  of  empire,  had  he  never  made  the  experi- 
ment. 

Shakespeare  ("All's  Well  that  Ends  Well,"  act  ii.  sc.  1) 
says:— 

"  Oft  expectation  fails,  and  most  oft  there 
Where  most  it  promises." 

THE   WICKED. 

The  wicked  find  it  easier  to  coalesce  for  sedi- 
tious purposes  than  for  concord  in  peace. 

DANGEROUS   ENTERPRISES. 

Each  man,  as  is  usual  in  dangerous  enterprises, 
expecting  the  bold  example  of  his  comrades,  ready 
to  second  the  insurrection,  yet  not  daring  to  begin 
it. 

FICKLENESS. 

He  had  the  address  to  soothe  the  minds  of  the 
soldiers,  who  (such  is  the  nature  of  the  multitude) 
are  easily  inflamed,  and  with  a  sudden  transition 
shift  to  the  opposite  extreme. 

PROSPERITY. 

In  the  hour  of  prosperity,  even  the  most  illustri- 
ous generals  become  haughty  and  insolent. 

THE   ELEVATION   OF   NEW   MEN. 

Such  is  the  nature  of  the  human  mind,  disposed 
at  all  times  to  behold  with  jealousy  the  sudden 
elevation  of  new  men,  and  to  demand  that  he  who 
has  been  known  in  an  humble  station  should  know 


TACITUS.  599 

how  to  rise  in  the  world  with  temper  and  modest 
dignity. 

A  DISSOLUTE   SOLDIERY. 

A  slothful  and  listless  soldiery,  debauched  by  the 
circus  and  theatres. 

THE   TIMID   AND   THE    BRAVE. 

The  brave  and  energetic  stand  a  siege  even 
against  adversity,  the  timid  and  the  cowards  rush 
to  despair  caused  by  their  fears. 

So  Jeremiah  xlviii.  10; — 

"  Cursed  be  he  that  doeth  the  work  of  the  Lord  deceitfully." 

CONTEST   FOB   EMPIRE. 

When  the  contest  is  for  sovereign  power,  there 
is  no  middle  course. 

POPULACE. 

The  populace  as  usual,  knowing  neither  truth 
nor  falsehood,  and  indifferent  about  both,  paid 
their  tribute  of  flattery  with  noise  and  uproar. 
They  pressed  him  to  accept  t.ie  title  of  Augustus; 
he  declined  it  for  somo  time;  but  the  voice  of  the 
rabble  prevailed.  He  yielded  to  their  importu- 
nity; but  the  compliance  was  useless,  and  the 
honor  was  of  short  duration. 

So  1  Thessaloniaas  ii.  5:— 

"  Tor  noiiher  at  any  tima  use;!  we  flattering  words." 

TOWER. 

Power  is  never  stable  when  it  exceeds  all 
bounds. 

CHANGE. 

New  men  succeeded,  but  the  measures  were  still 
tho  same. 


600  TACIT  is. 

QUALITIES   OF   A   GENERAL. 

The  proper  qualities  of  a  general  are  forethought 
and  prudence. 

INCONSIDERATE    ACTIONS. 

All  enterprises  which  are  begun  inconsiderately 
are  violent  at  the  beginning,  but  soon  languish. 

TUMULT. 

In  seasons  of  tumult  and  public  distraction  the 
bold  and  desperate  take  the  lead;  peace  and  good 
order  are  the  work  of  virtue  and  ability. 

RETALIATION. 

So  true  it  is  that  men  are  more  willing  to  retali- 
ate an  injury  than  to  requite  an  obligation;  obli- 
gation implies  a  debt,  which  is  a  painful  sensation ; 
by  a  stroke  of  revenge,  something  is  thought  to  be 
•gained. 

So  1  Thessalonians  v.  13:— 

"  See  that  none  render  evil  for  evil  unto  any  man;  but  ever 
f  oliow  that  which  is  good,  both  among  yourselves,  and  to  all 
men." 

LOVE    OF    FAME    THE    LAST    TO    BE    RESIGNED    BV 
THE   WISE. 

The  love  of  fame  is  the  last  weakness  which 
even  the  wise  resign. 
Thus  Milton  in  "  Lycidas  "  0-  70):— 

"  Fame  is  the  spur  that  the  clear  spirit  doth  raise 
(That  last  infirmity  of  noble  mind) 
To  scorn  delights  and  live  laborious  days." 
Massinger  ("  A  Very  Woman,"  v.  4)  says: — 

"  Though  the  desire  of  fame  be  the  last  weakness, 

Wise  men  put  off." 
Plato  ("  Athen."  xi.  507,  D.)  says:— 

"  The  love  of  fame  is  the  last  virtue  which  we  throw  off  at 
death." 


TACITUS.  601 

LIBERTY. 

Liberty,  that  best  gift,  dealt  out  by  the  impartial 
hand  of  Nature,  even  to  the  brute  creation. 

PROVIDENCE    ON   THE    SIDE    OF    THE    GREAT 
BATTALIONS. 

That  the  gods  were  on  the  side  of  the  stronger. 

So  Voltaire  to  M.  le  Riche  (Feb.  6,  1770):— 

"It  is  said  that  God  is  always  for  the  big  battalions." 

Some  one  in  presence  of  Napoleon  asserted  this,  but  the 

Emperor   remarked,   "Nothing  of  the  kind,  Providence  is 

always  on  the  side  of  the  last  reserve.'' 

THE   COWARD. 

The  most  forward  in  seditious  proceedings  are 
cowards  in  action. 

THE  POOR. 

The  populace  who  have  never  more  than  one 
day's  provision  dreaded  an  approaching  famine. 
Of  all  that  concerns  the  public,  the  price  of  grain 
is  their  only  care. 

FAMILY  UNION. 

Fleets  and  armies  are  not  always  the  strongest 
bulwarks;  the  best  resources  of  the  sovereign  are 
in  his  own  family.  Friends  moulder  away;  time 
changes  the  affections  of  men;  views  of  interest 
form  new  connections;  the  passions  fluctuate; 
desires  arise  that  cannot  be  gratified;  misunder- 
standings follow,  and  friendships  are  transferred 
to  others ;  but  the  ties  of  blood  still  remain  in 
force; -and  in  that  bond  of  unity  consists  the  secu- 
rity of  the  emperor.  In  his  prosperity  numbers 
partiripat.':  in  the  day  of  trouble,  who,  except  his 
ivlati  >ns.  tikes  a  share  in  his  misfortunes? 


602  TACITUS. 

CONTESTS   BETWEEN   RELATIVES. 

The  hatreds  of  relatives  are  most  violent. 
"  The  greatest  hate  springs  from  the  greatest  love." 

RIGHTS  OP  MAN  ALWAYS  A  SPECIOUS  PRETEXT  FOR 
DEMAGOGUES. 

But  the  rights  of  man  and  such  specious  lan- 
guage are  the  pretext;  this  has  always  been  the 
k.n'jfuage  of  those  who  want  to  usurp  dominion 
over  them. 

AN    ARMED    PEACE    IS    THE    BEST    GUARANTEE 
AGAINST   WAR. 

For  the  repose  of  nations  cannot  be  maintained 
without  arms,  arms  without  pay,  nor  pay  without 
taxes. 

VICES  AS  LONG   AS  THERE  ARE  MEN. 

There  will  be  vices  as  long  as  there  are  men. 

THE  JEWS. 

The  Egyptians  worship  various  animals,  and 
also  certain  symbolical  representations,  which  are 
the  work  of  men.  The  Jews  acknowledge  one 
God  only,  and  Him  they  see  in  the  mind's  eye,  and 
Him  they  adore  in  contemplation,  condemning  as 
impious  idolators  all  who,  with  perishable  mate- 
rials, wrought  into  the  human  form,  attempt  to 
give  a  representation  of  the  Deity.  The  God  of 
the  Jews  is  the  great  governing  Mind  that  directs 
and  guides  the  whole  form  of  nature,  eternal,  in- 
finite, and  neither  capable  of  change  nor  subject 
to  decay.  In  consequence  of  this  opinion,  no 
statue  was  to  be  seen  in  their  city,  much  less  in 
their  temple. 


TACITUS.  .        603 

VIRTUOUS   CHARACTERS. 

Thus  virtuous  characters  are  most  valued  in 
those  times  to  which  they  are  most  congenial. 

EASIER  TO  DESTROY  THAN  REVIVE  THE  LOVE  OF 
LETTERS. 

Yet  from  the  infirmity  natural  to  man,  the  rem- 
edies are  slower  in  operation  than  the  disease ;  and 
as  the  growth  of  bodies  is  slow  and  progressive, 
their  destruction  rapid  and  instantaneous,  so  you 
will  much  more  easily  destroy  genius  and  the  love 
of  letters  than  you  will  recall  them  into  existence. 
For  even  idleness  itself  possesses  charms,  which 
insensibly  grow  upon  us;  and  sloth  at  first  disliked 
is  afterwards  embraced  with  affection. 

FAME. 
Fame,  in  which  even  the  good  often  indulge. 


Common  fame  does  not  always  err:  it  sometimes 
even  points  out  the  man  to  be  elected. 

A   HOUSEHOLD. 

Beginning  with  himself  and  his  friends,  he  first 
reformed  his  own  household — a  work  often  at- 
tended with  not  less  difficulty  than  the  adminis- 
tration of  a  province. 

THE   EVILS   OF  A   LUXURIOUS   AGE. 

By  degrees  man  passes  to  the  enjoyments  of  a 
vicious  life,  porticoes,  baths,  and  elegant  banquets : 
this  by  the  ignorant  was  called  a  civilized  mode  of 
living,  though  in  reality  it  was  only  a  form  of 
slavery. 


G04  TACITUS. 

PLACABILITY. 

His  passion  soon  passed  away  and  left  no  trace 
behind :  you  had  no  reason  to  fear  his  concealed 
ill-will.  He  thought  it  more  honorable  to  give 
open  offence  than  to  indulge  in  secret  hatred. 

DEFEAT  AND   SUCCESS. 

And  those  who  had  lately  prided  themselves  on 
their  prudence  and  wisdom,  were  after  the  success- 
ful result  ardent  and  full  of  boasting.  This  is  the 
unfair  tax  which  commanders  of  armies  must  al- 
ways pay — all  claim  a  share  of  success,  while  a  bad 
result  is  ascribed  to  the  commander  alone. 

THE    UNKNOWN. 

Everything  unknown  is  magnified. 
Longfellow  says: — 

"  The  mighty  pyramids  of  stone 

That  wedge-like  cleave  the  desert  airs, 
When  nearer  seen,  and  better  known, 
Are  but  gigantic  flights  of  stairs." 

PEACE. 

To  rob,  toi-avage,  and  to  murder,  in  their  impos- 
ing language,  are  the  arts  of  civil  policy.  When 
they  have  made  the  world  a  solitude,  they  call  it 
peace. 


Fear  and  awe  are  only  weak  chains  to  secure 
love;  when  these  fetters  are  broken,  the  man  who 
forgets  to  fear  will  begin  to  show  the  effects  of  his 
hatred. 

INJUIUES. 

It  is  the  property  of  the  human  mind  to  hate 
those  whom  we  have  injured. 


TACITUS.  605 

Dryden  ("The  Conquest  of  Granada,"  Part  II.  act  i.  sc.  2) 
ays:— 

"  Forgiveness,  to  the  injured  does  belong; 

But  they  ne'er  pardon  who  have  done  the  wrong." 
Herbert  ("  Jacula  Prudentum  ")  says:— 

"  The  offender  never  pardons." 


And  he,  though  can-led  off  in  the  prime  of  life, 
had  lived  long  enough  for  glory. 

DOMITIAN. 

Even  Nero  had  the  grace  to  turn  away  his  eyes 
from  the  horrors  of  his  reign.  He  commanded 
deeds  of  cruelty,  but  never  was  a  spectator  of  the 
scene.  Under  Uomitian  it  was  our  wretched  lot 
to  behold  the  tyrant,  and  to  be  seen  by  him,  while 
he  kept  a  register  of  our  sighs  and  groans.  With 
that  fiery  visage,  of  a  dye  so  red  that  the  blush  of 
guilt  could  never  color  his  cheek,  he  marked  the 
pale  languid  countenance  of  the  unhappy  victims 
who  shuddered  at  his  frown. 

THE   DEAD. 

If  in  another  world  there  is  a  pious  mansion  for 
the  blessed;  if,  as  the  wisest  men  have  thought, 
the  soul  is  not  extinguished  with  the  body,  mayest 
thou  enjoy  a  state  of  eternal  felicity !  From  that 
station  behold  thy  disconsolate  family;  exalt  our 
minds  from  fond  regret  and  unavailing  grief  to  the 
contemplation  of  thy  virtues.  Those  we  must  not 
lament;  it  were  impiety  to  sully  them  with  a  tear. 
To  cherish  their  memory,  to  embalm  them  with 
our  praises,  and  if  our  frail  condition  will  permit, 
to  emulate  thy  bright  example,  will  be  the  truest 
mark  of  our  respect,  the  best  tribute  thy  family 
can  offer. 


606  TERENCE, 

Young  ("  Night  Thoughts,"  Night  ii.  1.  24):— 

"  He  mourns  the  dead  who  lives  as  they  desire." 

THE   MIND. 

For  in  the  mind  as  in  a  field,  though  some  things 
may  be  sown  and  carefully  brought  up,  yet  what 
springs  naturally  is  most  pleasing. 

ENVY. 

From  the  maliciousness  of  human  nature  we  are 
always  praising  what  has  passed  away,  and  depre- 
ciating the  present. 

ELOQUENCE. 

It  is  of  eloquence  as  of  a  flame;  it  requires  matter 
to  feed  it,  motion  to  excite  it,  and  it  brightens  as 
it  burns. 


TERENCE. 

BORN   B.C.    195— DIED   B.C.    159. 

P.  TERENTIUS  AFER,  born  at  Carthage,  B.C.  195, 
became  the  slave  of  P.  Terentius  Lucanus,  a  Ro- 
man senator.  He  gave  him  a  good  education, 
and  subsequently  manumitted  him,  upon  which 
he  assumed,  according  to  the  usual  practice,  his 
patron's  name.  The  success  of  his  play  "  The 
Andria,"  B.C.  166.  introduced  him  to  the  most  re- 
fined and  intellectual  circles  of  Rome.  He  is  said 
to  have  received  assistance  in  the  composition  of 
his  plays  from  Scipio  and  Laelius,  who  treated 
him  more  as  a  friend  than  a  dependent.  As  he 
was  a  foreigner,  and  the  pure  idioms  of  the  Latin 


TERENCE.  607 

language  could  be  little  known  to  him,  it  is  not 
at  all  improbable  that  his  plays  should  have  been 
submitted  to  the  revision  of  his  friends.  The  ca- 
lumnious attacks  of  his  rivals  are  said  to  have 
driven  him  from  Italy,  when  he  took  refuge  in 
Greece,  from  which  he  never  returned.  Accord- 
ing to  one  story,  after  embarking  at  Brundisium, 
he  was  never  heard  of  more;  according  to  others, 
he  died  in  some  city  of  the  Peloponnesus.  He 
left  a  daughter,  but  nothing  is  known  of  his 
family. 

IGNORANCE. 

Faith!  by  too  much  knowledge  they  bring  it 
about  that  they  know  nothing. 

OBSCURE   DILIGENCE. 

He  prefers  to  emulate  the  negligence  of  the  one, 
rather  than  the  obscure  diligence  of  the  other. 

KINDNESS. 

But  this  annoys  me;  for  this  reminding  me  of 
your  kindness  is  as  it  were  a  reproaching  me  of 
ingratitude. 

Shakespeare  ("  Troilus  and  Cressicla,"  act  iii.  sc.  3)  says:— 
"  Time  hath,  my  lord,  a  wallet  at  his  back, 

Wherein  he  puts  alms  for  oblivion, 

A  great-sized  monster  of  ingratitudes: 

Those  scraps  are  good  deeds  past;  which  are  devour'd 

As  fast  as  they  are  made,  forgot  as  soon 

As  done." 

EXCESS. 

For  I  hold  this  to  be  the  golden  rule  of  life, 
"  Too  much  of  anything  is  bad." 


008  TERENCE. 

COMPLIANCE. 

Obsequiousness  procures  friends,  plain  dealing 
breeds  hatred. 

BAD  HEABT. 

From  bad  dispositions  arise  bad  designs. 

A   SIMPLETON. 

I  am  a  simple  Davus,  who  can  understand  plain 
talk  very  well,  but  I  have  not  the  sagacity  of  an 
CEdipus  to  fathom  the  enigma  which  you  propose. , 

DOTAKDS. 

This  is  a  beginning  of  dotards,  not  of  doting. 

This  has  been  shortened  to  "  amantes,  amentes,"  "  in  love, 
a  fool."  It  is  translated  alliteratively  thus  in  an  old  transla- 
tion (1641): — "For  they  are  fare  as  they  were  lunaticke  and 
not  love-sick." 

"  By  biting  and  scratching  cats  and  dogs  come  together." 

A  WISH. 

Since  the  thing  you  wish  cannot  be  had,  wish 
for  that  which  you  can  have. 

THE  SICK. 

We  all,  when  we  are  well,  give  good  advice  to 
the  sick. 

Sophocles  (Trachin.  731):— 

"  Not  he  who  shares  in  the  grief  may  suggest  comfort,  but 
he  to  whom  there  is  no  anxiety  at  home." 

Shakespeare  ("  Much  Ado  About  Nothing,"  act  iii.  sc.  2) 
says:— 

"  Every  one  can  master  a  grief  but  he  that  has  it." 
And  ("  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  act  ii.  sc.  2): — 

"  He  jests  at  scars  that  never  felt  a  wound." 


TERENCE.  009 

THAXKS. 

I  do  not  by  any  means  think  it  the  act  of  an 
honorable  man,  when  he  has  done  nothing  to 
merit  favor,  to  require  that  thanks  should  be  giv- 
en him. 

SELF-LOVE. 

Is  there  no  faith  in  the  affairs  of  men!  It  is  an 
old  saying,  and  a  true  one  too,  "Of  all  mankind, 
each  loves  himself  the  best." 

Menander  says: — 

"  No  one  loves  another  better  than  himself." 

SAFETY. 

My  vessel  is  in  harbor,  reckless  of  the  troubled 
sea. 

LOVEKS. 
Quarrels  of  lovers  but  renew  their  love. 

MALICE. 

Is  it  to  be  believed  or  told  that  there  is  such  mal- 
ice in  men  as  to  rejoice  in  misfortunes,  and  from 
another's  woes  to  draw  delight? 

Menander  says: — 
"  Never  rejoice  at  the  misfortunes  of  your  neighbor." 

CHARITY  AT   HOME. 

Here,  then,  is  their  shameless  hnpudence:  they 
cry,  Who,  then,  are  you?  What  are  you  to  me? 
Why  should  I  give  my  property  to  you?  Hark  ye, 
I  have  a  right  to  be  my  own  best  friend. 

INCLINATION. 

I  know  it;  thou  art  constrain'd  by  inclination. 
39 


610  TEEENCE. 

FROM   THE   HEART. 

Dost  thou  think  that  there  is  little  difference 
whether  thou  dost  a  thing  from  the  heart,  as  na- 
ture suggests,  or  with  a  purpose? 

AS   WE  CAN. 

As  we  can,  according  to  the  old  saying,  when 
we  cannot,  as  we  would. 

SAFETY. 

All  is  now  secure. 

GRAVITY. 

A  grave  severity  is  in  his  face, 
And  credit  in  his  words. 

TO  HEAR  WHAT  IS   DISPLEASING. 

If  he  persists  in  saying  whatever  he  pleases,  he 
will  hear  what  is  displeasing. 

This  seems  to  be  a  translation  of  a  line  of  Alcaeus  (Fr.  62, 
S.):- 

"If  thou  sayest  what  thou  wishes t,  thou  will  hear  what 
thou  wishest  not." 

Or  of  Homer  (H.  xx.  250):— 

"  Whatever  words  thou  shalt  say,  the  same  shalt  thou 
hear." 

ILLS   OF   LIFE. 

It  happens,  as  is  usual  among  men,  that  my  ills 
should  reach  thy  ears  before  thy  joys  reach  mine. 

Milton  ("  Samson  Agonistes,"  1.  1538)  expresses  the  same 
idea:- 

"  For  evil  news  rides  post,  while  good  news  bates." 

NOTHING   NEW. 

Nothing's  said  now,  but  has  been  said  before. 


TERENCE.  Oil 

St.  Jerome  relates  that  his  preceptor  Donatus,  explaining 
this  passage,  railed  severely  at  the  ancients  for  taking  from 
him  Ms  best  thoughts,  saying: — 

"  Pereant,  qui  ante  nos  nostra  dixerunt." 
See  Wharton  in  his  "  Essay  on  Pope,"  in  a  note  i.  88. 
Tennyson  says: — 

"  And  o  \  her  lover's  arm.  she  leant, 

And  round  her  waist  she  felt  it  fold, 
And  far  across  the  hills  they  went, 
In  that  new  world  that  is  the  old." 

LOVE. 

In  love  there  are  all  these  ills:  wrongs,  suspi- 
cions, quarrels,  reconcilements,  war,  and  peace 
again.  If  thou  wouldst  try  to  do  things  thus  un- 
certain l»y  a  certain  method,  thou  wouldst  act  as 
wisely  as  if  thou  wert  to  run  mad  with  reason  as 
thy  guide. 

FLATTEKEBS. 

There  is  a  kind  of  men  who  wish  to  Le  at  the 
head  of  everything,  and  are  not:  these  I  attend; 
not  to  make  them  laugh,  like  the  buffoon,  but  I 
laugh  with  them,  and  wonder  at  their  parts. 
Whatever  they  say,  I  praise:  if  they  refuse  the 
praise,  I  praise  that  also.  Does  any  deny  ?  I  too 
deny;  affirm?  I  too  affirm.  In  a  word,  I  have 
brought  myself  to  assent  to  everything.  That 
now  is  the  best  of  all  professions. 


In  all  things. 


CHANGE. 

There  is,  alas,  a  change 
OF  WIT. 


They,  who  have  the  wit  that  is  in  you,  often 
transfer  to  themselves  the  glory  got  by  others' 
care  and  toil. 


612  TEKENCE. 

SILENCE. 

This  is  illustrated  by  the  sublime  saying  of  Soanen,  Bishop 
of  Senez,  when  he  was  proceeding  to  exile: — 

"  La  silence  du  peuple  est  la  legon  des  rois." 


Without  good  eating  and  drinking  love  grows 
cold. 

THE   WAYS   OF  WOMEN. 

Nay,  certainly,  I  know  the  ways  of  women :  they 
won't,  when  thou  wilt,  and  when  thou  won't,  they 
are  passionately  fond. 

Shakespeare  ("  Hamlet,''  act  i.  sc.  2)  says: — 
"  Frailty,  thy  name  is  woman  1 " 

NEIGHBORHOOD. 

Yet  either  thy  austere  life,  or  else  near  neigh- 
borhood, which  I  consider  to  be  the  first  step  to 
friendship,  causes  me  to  warn  thee  boldly  and  as 
a  friend,  that  thou  seemest  to  me  to  be  acting  in  a 
way  unsuited  to  thy  age,  and  otherwise  than  thy 
income  requires. 

HUMANITY. 

Me.  Chremesl  Ijast  thou  such  leisure  from  thy 
own  affairs  thatthou  canst  lavish  time  on  those 
of  others,  and  on  matters  which  don't  concern 
thee? 

C%.)l  am  a  human  being:  I  consider  none  of  the 
incidents  which  befall  my  fellow-creatures  to  be 

matters  of  unconcern  to  me.  "1 

^J 

THE   MIND. 

What  now  prevents  his  having  every  earthly 


TERENCE.  613 

blessing  that  man  can  possess  ?  Parents,  a  pros- 
perous country,  friends,  high  birth,  relatives, 
riches  ?  Yet  all  these  take  their  value  from  the 
color  of  the  mind.  To  him  who  knows  their 
proper  use, -they  are  blessings:  to  him  who  mis- 
uses them,  they  are  curses. 

Spenser,  in  his  "  Faerie  Queen  "  (vi.  9,  30)  speaks  thus  of 
the  mind  of  man:— 

"  It  is  the  mind  that  maketh  good  or  ill, 
That  maketh  wretch  or  happy,  rich  or  poor: 
For  some,  that  hath  abundance  at  his  will, 
Hath  not  enough,  but  wants  in  greatest  store; 
And  other,  that  hath  little,  asks  no  more, 
But  in  that  little  is  both  rich  and  wise: 
For  wisdom  is  most  riches:  fools  therefore 
They  are,  which  do  by  vows  devise; 
Sith  each  unto  himself  his  life  may  fortunise." 

EXPERIENCE   FROM   OTHERS'    MISFORTUNES. 

Remember  this  maxim,  to  draw  from  others' 
misfortunes  a  profitable  lesson  for  thyself. 

WOMEN   TAKE   TIME   FOR   ADORNMENT. 

Dost  thou  not  know  that  her  house  is  a  long 
way  off.  And  then  thou  knowest  the  ways  of 
women:  while  they  are  setting  themselves  off  and 
tricking  out  their  persons,  it  is  an  age. 

SIMPLICITY   IN   DRESS. 

We  found  her  dressed  without  gold  or  trinkets, 
as  ladies  who  are  dressed  only  for  themselves,  set 
off  with  110  female  paints  and  pastes. 

NO  FAMOUS  DEED  WITHOUT  DANGER. 

No  great  and  famous  deed  is  accomplished 
without  danger. 


614  TERENCE. 

A   LOVER. 

I  know  thee,  how  little  command  thou  hast  over 
thyself;  no  double  meanings,  turning  thy  neck 
round  to  leer,  sighs,  hems,  coughs,  or  tittering. 

LICENSE. 

Ah!  what  an  opening  for  profligacy  thou  wilt 
make!  so  that  in  process  of  time  life  itself  will  be 
a  burden.  "For  we  all  become  worse  from  too 
much  liberty.  \  Whatever  comes  into  his  head,  he 
will  have,  nor  will  he  consider  whether  it  be  right 
or  wrong. 

NATURE  OF  MANKIND. 

Gods!  that  the  nature  of  mankind  should  be 
such  that  they  have  more  wisdom,  and  determine 
better  in  the  affairs  of  others  than  in  their  own! 
Does  this  superior  wisdom  arise  because,  where 
our  own  interest  is  concerned,  we  are  prevented 
from  judging  properly  either  by  excessive  joy  or 
grief  ?  How  much  more  wisely  does  my  neighbor 
here  think  for  me  than  I  do  for  myself. 

TRIFLES. 

She'll  take  mighty  pains 
To  be  delivered  of  some  mighty  trifle. 

INDUSTRY. 

Nothing  so  difficult  but  may  be  won  by  industry. 
Herrick  ("  Seek  and  Find  ")  says:— 

"  Attempt  the  end,  and  never  stand  to  doubt; 

Nothing's  so  hard  but  search  will  find  it  out." 
Antiphanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  500,  M.)  says:— 
"  Everything  yields  to  industry." 


TERENCE.  015 

AN  IF. 

Suppose,  as  some  folks  say,  the  sky  should  fall  ? 

STRICT   LAW. 

For  'tis  a  common  saying  and  a  true, 

That  strictest  law  is  oft  the  highest  wrong.   , 

AGAINST  THE   GRAIN. 

There  is  nothing  so  easy  in  itself  but  grows  dif- 
ficult when  it  is  performed  against  one's  will. 

HABIT. 

How  many  unjust  and  wicked  things  are  done 
from  mere  habit ! 

HOPE. 

So  we  do  but  live, 
There's  hope. 

A  FATHER'S  FEARS. 

What  a  world  of  fears  now  possess  me,  because 
my  son  has  not  returned !  And  with  what  appre- 
hensions am  I  even  now  distracted  lest  he  should 
have  taken  cold,  or  had  a  fall,  or  broken  a  limb ! 
That  any  human  being  should  entertain  in  his 
mind,  or  by  his  acts  provide,  a  thing  which  should 
be  dearer  than  he  is  to  himself. 

CHILDREN. 

For  he  who  has  acquired  the  habit  of  lying  or  de- 
ceiving his  father,  will  do  the  same  with  less  re- 
morse to  others.  N  I  believe  that  it  is  better  to  bind 
your  children  to  you  by  a  feeling  of  respect  and  by 
gentleness  than  by  fear.  \ 


616  TERENCE. 

KINDNESS. 

The  man  is  very  much  mistaken,  in  my  opinion 
at  least,  who  fancies  that  authority  is  more  firm 
and  stable  that  is  founded  on  force  than  what  is 
built  on  friendship.  This  is  my  way,  this  is  my 
idea;  he  who  does  his  duty,  driven  to  it  by  sever- 
ity, while  he  thinks  his  actions  are  observed,  so 
long  only  is  he  on  his  guard;  if  he  hopes  for  se- 
crecy, he  goes  back  to  his  own  ways  again.  He 
whom  you  have  made  your  own  by  kindness,  does 
it  of  good  will,  is  anxious  to  make  a  due  return, 
acting  present  or  absent  evermore  the  same. 
Vriiis,  then,  is  the  duty  of  a  father,  to  make  a  son 
embrace  a  life  of  virtue  rather  from  choice  than 
from  terror  or  constraint.  \ 

Ben  Jonson  ("Every  Man  in  his  Humor,"  acti.1  thus  ex- 
presses the  idea:— 

"  There  is  a  way  of  winning  more  by  love, 
And  urging  of  the  modesty  than  fear; 
Force  works  on  servile  natures,  not  the  free. 
He  that's  compell'd  to  goodness  may  be  good; 
But  'tis  but  for  that  fit;  where  others,  drawn 
By  softness  and  example,  get  a  habit." 

TO  DESPISE  MONEY  IS   GAIN. 

To  seem  upon  occasion  to  slight  money, 
Proves,  in  the  end,  sometimes  the  greatest  gain. 

HOPE. 

San.  I  never  purchase  hope  with  ready  money. 

Syr.  Thou'lt  never  make  a  fortune:  away  with 
thee,  thou  dost  not  know  how  to  ensnare  men, 
Sannio. 

San.  Well,  perhaps  thy  way  is  best;  yet  I  was 
never  so  cunning,  but  I  had  rather,  when  it  was  in 
my  power,  receive  prompt  payment. 


TERENCE.  617 

TRUE   WISDOM. 

That  is  to  be  wise  to  see  not  merely  that  which 
lies  before  your  feet,  but  to  foresee  even  those 
things  which  are  in  the  womb  of  futurity. 


Thou,  from  head  to  foot,  art  nought  but  wis- 
dom's self:  he  a  mere  dotard.  Wouldst  thou  ever 
permit  thy  boy  to  do  such  things  ? 

Dem.  Permit  him  ?  I  ?  Or  should  I  not  much 
rather  smell  him  out  six  months  before  he  did  but 
dream  of  it  ? 

CHILDREN. 

As  fathers  form  their  children,  so  they  prove. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Antiop.  17)  says: — 

"  I  announce  to  all  men,  that  noble  children  are  sprung 
from  noble  sires." 

HOME   EDUCATION. 

He  need  not  go  from  home  for  good  instruction. 

EDUCATION. 

I  spare  no  pains,  neglect  no  means;  in  a  word,  I 
bid  him  look  into  the  lives  of  all,  as  into  a  mirror, 
and  thence  draw  from  others  an  example  for  him- 
self. "Do  this." 

Syr.  Good. 

Dem.  "Fly  that." 

Syr.  Very  good. 

Dem.  "  This  deed  is  highly  commendable." 

Syr.  That's  the  thing. 

Dem.  "  That's  reprehensible." 

Syr.  Most  excellent. 

EDUCATION. 

I  perceive  that  the  things  which  we  do  are  silly: 


618  TERENCE. 

but  what  can  one  do  ?    According  to  men's  habits 
and  dispositions,  so  one  must  yield  to  them. 

LAW. 
Grant  her,  then,  freely  what  law  else  will  claim. 

KESULT  OF  INDULGENCE. 

But  this  immoderate  indulgence  must  assuredly 
produce  some  terrible  misfortune  in  the  end. 

SPEAK  OF  THE  DEVIL. 

The  wolf  i'  th'  fable. 

I  AM   A  FKAIL  MAN. 

Do  you  not  remember  that  I  am  a  frail  human 
being  ?  and  therefore  I  have  erred. 

This  is  probably  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "en-are  huma- 
num  est,"  which  first  appears  in  the  "  Antilucretius  sive  de 
deo  natura,  '  a  didactic  poem  of  the  Cardinal  de  Poliguac 
(Paris,  1747).  It  is  found  in  bk.  v.  1.  59. 

THE   POOH  AKE   SUSPICIOUS  OF  NEGLECT. 

All  whose  fortunes  are  less  prosperous,  are,  I 
know  not  how,  the  more  suspicious;  they  take 
everything  as  if  insult  were  intended :  on  account 
of  their  peculiar  state  of  indigence,  they  always 
think  themselves  to  be  slighted. 

A  BLUSH. 

He  blushes.    All's  safe,  I  find. 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1091,  M.)  says:— 
"  The  man  that  neither  blushes  nor  fears,  has  the  initiative 
to  every  kind  of  shamelessness." 
Young  ("  Night  Thoughts  "  Night  vii.  496):— 
"  The  man  that  blushes  is  not  quite  a  brute." 


TERENCE.  619 

LIFE  OF  MAN  LIKE  A  GAME  AT  DICE. 

The  life  of  man  is  like  a  game  at  dice:  if  the 
favorable  throw  be  not  cast,  that  which  chance 
sends  you  must  try  to  amend  by  skill. 

Alexis  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  697,  M.)  says:— 

"Such  a  life  is  like  dice:  the  same  throws  do  not  always 
turn  up,  nor  does  the  same  form  remain  to  life,  but  it  has 
changes." 

PROVIDENCE  UNABLE  TO  SAVE  SOME  MEN. 

'Tis  not  in  the  power 
Of  Providence  herself,  howe'er  desirous, 
To  save  from  ruin  such  a  family. 

TWO   DOING   THE   SAME   THING. 

When  two  persons  do  the  self-same  thing,  it 
oftentimes  falls  out  that  in  the  one  it  is  criminal, 
in  the  other  it  is  not  so, — not  that  the  thing  itself 
is  different,  but  he  who  does  it. 

BULE   OF   LIFE   CHANGED   BY   EXPERIENCE. 

Never  did  man  lay  down  so  wise  a  rule  of  life 
but  fortune,  age,  experience  made  some  change  in 
it,  and  taught  you  that  those  things  which  you 
thought  you  knew  you  did  not  know;  and  the 
I  things  which  you  deemed  your  chief  perfections 
from  experience  you  threw  by. 

GENTLENESS. 

I  have  found  by  dear  experience  that  there  is 
nothing  so  advantageous  f-or  man  as  mildness  and 
a  forgiving  disposition. 

So  Zechariafi  vii.  9:— 

'•  Show  mercy  and  compassions  every  man  to  his  brother." 


620  TERENCE. 

OLD   MEN. 

It  is  the  common  failing  of  old  men 

To  be  too  much  intent  on  worldly  matters. 

TO   FOIL  A  MAN   AT  HIS  OWN  WEAPONS. 

I  foil  him  at  his  own  weapons. 

MISFOHTUNE. 

For  when  mischance  befalls  us,  all  the  interval 
between  its  happening  and  our  knowledge  of  it 
may  be  esteemed  clear  gain. 

WOMEN  ARE  WEAK  OF  SOUL. 

For  often  a  trifling  cause,  which  would  not  move 
another's  spleen,  makes  the  choleric  man  your 
most  bitter  enemy.  For  how  slight  causes  chil- 
dren squabble !  Why?  Because  they  are  governed 
by  a  feeble  mind.  Women,  like  children,  are  im- 
potent and  weak  of  soul.  A  single  word  perhaps 
has  kindled  all  this  enmity  between  them. 

WE  RISE  OR  FALL  ACCORDING   TO  OUR  FORTUNE. 

All  of  us,  according  as  our  affairs  prosper,  are 
elated  or  cast  down. 

MEN  OF  PLEASURE. 

He  was  his  whole  lifetime  a  man  of  pleasure, 
,    and  those  who  are  so  do  not  much  enrich  their 
(    heir;   yet    they    leave    this  praise  behind  them, 
"  While  he  lived  he  lived  well." 

PAYMENT  OF   DEBTS. 

As  times  go  now,  things  are  come  to  such  a  pass 
that,  if  a  man  pays  you  what  he  owes,  you  are 
much  beholden  to  him. 


TERENCE.  621 

MOUNTAINS  OF  GOLD. 

Promising  mountains  of  gold. 

This  proverbial  expression  is  found  in  Sallust  (Cat.  23),  be- 
ing derived  from  the  Persians  boasting  of  mountains  of  gold, 
as  that  metal  abounded  with  them. 

TO   KICK  AGAINST   THE   PRICKS. 

For  what  a  foolish  task 
To  kick  against  the  pricks! 

PATIENCE. 

Whate'er  chance  brings,  I  will  patiently  endure. 

Alexis  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  753,  M.)  says: 

"  For  it  is  the  part  of  a  wise  man  to  bear  the  buffets  of  for- 
tune with  patience." 
And  Hurdis  says:— 

"  The  noblest  fortitude,  is  still  to  bear 
Accumulated  ills  and  never  faint." 

DISCONTENT. 

We  are  almost  all  of  this  disposition,  that  we 
are  never  satisfied  with  our  own. 

FORTUNE  FAVORS  THE  BRAVE. 

Fortune  favors  the  brave. 

ALL   ALIKE. 

De.  See  all  alike !  the  whole  gang  hangs  together : 
know  one,  and  you  know  all. 

Ph.  Nay,  it  is  not  so. 

De.  One  is  in  fault,  the  other  is  at  hand  to  bear 
him  out:  when  the  other  slips,  he  is  ready;  each 
in  their  turn. 


622  TEEENCE. 

BORROWING   EASILY   SAID. 

Ge.  It  was  not  the  reckoning,  but  money  that 
was  wanting. 

De.  He  might  have  borrowed. 
Ge.  Have  borrowed  it!  easily  said. 

FLEECE  THE   SIMPLE. 

Because  the  net  is  not  stretched  to  catch  the 
hawk  or  kite,  who  do  us  wrong:  it  is  laid  for  those 
who  do  us  none  at  all.  In  them  there  is  some- 
thing to  be  got,  in  these  it  is  mere  labor  lost. 

FIRST   ATTACK. 

The  first  attack's  the  fiercest. 

PEDIGREE. 

If  he  had  left  behind  him  a  property  of  some 
ten  talents. 

De.  Out  upon  you. 

Ph.  Then  you  would  have  been  the  first  to  trace 
your  descent  from  grandsire  and  great-grandsiie. 

A  MATTER  SETTLED. 

Oh!  that  matter  is  all  settled.' 
Think  on't  no  more. 

MANY   MEN,   MANY   MINDS. 

Many  men,  many  minds. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Rhadam.  1)  says: — 

"Various  are  the  inclinations  of  man:  this  one  longs  for 
high  descent:  to  this  other  there  is  no  such  thought,  but  he 
wishes  to  be  called  the  master  of  much  wealth  in  his  house: 
this  other,  who  can  speak  nothing  sensible,  tries  to  persuade 
his  neighbors  with  sheer  shamelessness:  some  men  seek 
base  gam  before  what  is  honorable,  in  such  various  ways  do 
men  stray.  I,  however,  wish  none  of  these,  but  would  desire 
to  have  the  glory  of  high  fame." 


TERENCE.  623 

TO   HARP   ON   THE   SAME   STRING. 

You  are  harping  on  the  same  string. 

GIVE   PLACE   TO   YOUR  BETTERS. 

I  have  found  a  ready  paymaster,  no  sniveller: 
give  place  then  to  your  betters ! 

WORDS  TO   THE   WISE. 

A  word  to  the  wise. 

TWO   STRINGS   TO   MY  BOW. 

I  think  it  better  to  have  two  strings  to  my  bow. 

A   HANGING   MATTER. 

Nothing  indeed  remains  for  me  but  that  I  should 
hang  myself. 

A  TALE. 
Many  a  tale  is  spoilt  in  telling,  Antipho. 

FORTUNE. 

How  often  Fortune  blindly  brings  about 
More  than  we  dare  to  hope  for! 

KNAVERY. 

Knavery's  now  its  own  reward. 


624  TIBULLUS. 

TIBULLUS. 

BORX  ABOUT  B.C.  59 — PIED  ABOUT  B.C.  18. 

ALBIUS  TIBULLUS  was  bom  about  B.C.  59,  of 
equestrian  rank,  but  of  his  youth  and  education 
we  know  nothing.  His  property  was  situated  at 
Pedum,  between  Tibur  and  Praeneste,  and,  like 
many  others,  in  consequence  of  the  civil  wars,  he 
was  deprived  of  a  large  portion  of  it.  He  accom- 
panied his  patron,  Messala,  when  he  was  de- 
spatched by  Augustus  to  suppress  a  formidable 
insurrection  which  had  broken  out  in  Aquitania,  a 
province  of  Gaul,  and  subsequently  proceeded 
with  Messala  on  his  way  to  the  East,  whither  he 
was  sent  to  reorganize  that  part  of  the  empire. 
Being  taken  ill,  he  was  obliged  to  remain  at  Cor- 
cyra  (Corfu),  whence  he  returned  to  Rome,  and 
thus  ended  the  active  life  of  Tibullus.  He  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  short  life  in  composing  those 
poetical  effusions  which  have  come  down  to  us. 


Delia,  be  not  afraid  to  elude  thy  guards:  thtm 
must  be  courageous:  Vtnus  herself  aids  the  ad- 
venturous maiden. 

PERJURIES   OF   LOVERS. 

Fear  not  to  swear;  the  winds  carry  the  perjuries 
of  lovers  without  effect  over  land  and  sea,  thanks 
to  Jupiter;  the  father  of  the  gods  himself  has  de- 
nied effect  to  what  foolish  lovers  in  their  eager- 
ness have  sworn. 

PASSAGE  OF  TIME. 

But  if  thou  delayest,  thou  wilt  be  wrong:  how 


TIBULLUS.  625 

swiftly  time  passes !  the  day  moves  not  sluggishly 
nor  goes  back.  How  quickly  the  earth  loses  its 
gay  colors !  how  quickly  the  white  poplar  its  leafy 
honors !  how  slothf ully  lies  the  horse,  which  flew 
when  young  in  the  Olympic  course,  when  it  is  un- 
nerved by  age !  I  have  seen  the  youth,  whom  age 
has  come  upon,  bewail  the  days  he  has  passed  in 
folly.  Ye  cruel  gods!  the  serpent  strips  off  his 
years  and  renews  his  youth :  fate  allows  no  delay 
to  beauty.  Apollo  and  Bacchus  are  the  only  gods 
that  know  no  change :  their  locks  are  ever  unfad- 
ing. 

WINE. 

Bacchus  causes  country  swains  oppressed  with 
cares  to  forget  themselves  in  joys:  Bacchus  gives 
respite  to  the  wretch's  pains,  though  his  legs  be 
galled  with  rattling  chains. 

Pindar  (Fr.  Incert.  61)  says  something  to  the  same  effect: — 

"  When  the  wearying  cares  of  men  fly  from  their  breasts, 

and  we  all  alike  sail  in  the  sea  of  gold-abounding  plenty  to  a 

false  shore:  the  poor  become  rich,  the  rich  abound  still  more, 

with  their  minds  under  the  influence  of  wine." 

BE  DILIGENT  IN  YOUTH. 

But  thou,  while  the  summer  of  life  is  in  bloom, 
enjoy  it,  it  passes  away  with  rapid  step. 

So  Ecclesiastes  (xi.  6): — 

"  In  the  morning  sow  thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold 
not  thine  hand ;  for  thou  knowest  not  whether  shall  prosper 
either  this  or  that,  or  whether  they  both  shall  be  alike  good." 

DECEIT. 

Ah  wretch !  even  though  one  may  be  able  at  first 
to  conceal  his  perjuries,  yet  Punishment  creeps 
on,  though  late,  with  noiseless  step. 

DECEIT. 

When  thou  art  preparing  to  commit  a  sin,  think 
40 


626  TIBULLU8. 

not  that  thou  wilt  conceal  it;  there  is  a  God  that 
forbids  crimes  to  be  hidden. 

Plutarch  (Dem.  42)  says: — 

"  There  is  nothing  so  becoming  a  king  as  just  dealing." 

Deuteronomy  (xvi.  19): — 

"Thou  shalt  not  wrest  judgment;  thou  shalt  not  respect 
persons,  neither  take  a  gift:  for  a  gift  doth  blind  the  eyes  of 
the  wise,  and  pervert  the  words  of  the  righteous." 

1  Peter  ii.  1  :— 

"  Wherefore  laying  aside  all  malice,  and  all  guile,  and  hy- 
pocrisies, and  envies,  and  all  evil  speakings." 

EARLY  AGES. 

This  vice  proceeds  from  greedy  thirst  of  gold : 
there  were  no  wars  when  draughts  were  quaffed 
from  beechen  cups ;  then  there  were  no  towers,  no 
ramparts;  the  shepherd  slept  secure  amidst  his 
numerous  flocks, 

PLEASURES  OF  COUNTRY  LIFE. 

How  much  more  wise  the  man  who,  surrounded 
by  his  children,  spends  his  old  age  in  some  small 
cottagel  He  tends  the  sheep,  his  son  the  lambs; 
while  his  wife  prepares  warm  water  for  his  weary 
feet.  Such  may  I  be,  and  may  I  with  hoary  locks 
i-elate  in  my  old  age  the  deeds  of  earlier  times. 

.i?'r"  DEATH* 

What  madness  is  it  to  summon  gloomy  death  by 
wars  ?  It  is  always  impending  and  advancing  se- 
cretly with  noiseless  step.  In  the  regions  below 
there  are  no  corn-fields,  no  clustering  vines,  but 
fierce  Cerberus  and  the  filthy  ferryman  of  the 
stygian  waters* 

PEACE. 

Meanwhile  may  Peace  cultivate  the  fields.     It 


T1BULLUS.  627 

was  auspicious  Peace  that  first  instructed  the  oxen 
to  draw  the  crooked  plough.  It  was  Peace  that 
planted  the  vines  and  gave  juice  to  the  grapes, 
that  the  paternal  jar  may  furnish  wine  to  cheer 
the  son.  In  piping  times  of  Peace  the  rake  and 
the  plough  ply  with  diligence,  while  rust  eats 
into  the  gloomy  arms  of  the  fierce  soldiers  in 
darkness. 

Aristophanes  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  I.  p.  284  M.)  says: — 
"A.  The  faithful  nurse,  housekeeper,  co-operator,  guar- 
dian, daughter,  sister  of  Peace,  the  friend  of  all  men,  all  these 
names  are  used  by  me.    B.  What  is  your  name?    A.  What? 
Agriculture." 

AN  EPITAPH. 

And  at  departure  he  will  say,  "  Mayest  thou  rest 
soundly  and  quietly,  and  may  the  light  turf  lie 
easy  on  thy  bones." 

HAPPY  FAMILY. 

Warmed  by  wine,  he  will  kindle  heaps  of  light 
straw  and  leap  across  the  sacred  flames;  the  moth- 
er will  bring  forward  her  children,  and  the  child, 
seizing  his  father  by  the  ears,  will  snatch  kisses. 
And  the  grandsire  will  delight  to  watch  his  little 
grandchild,  and  in  his  old  age  will  lisp  words  to 
the  boy.  • 

HOPE. 

I  would  long  ere  this  have  quenched  my  sor- 
rows in  death,  had  not  flattering  hope  cherished 
life,  and  always  whispered  that  to-morrow  would 
be  happier  day.  It  is  hope  that  cheers  the  peas- 
ant, hope  that  intrusts  the  seed  to  the  furrows  to 
be  returned  with  abundant  interest.  It  is  hope 
that  catches  birds  with  gins,  fishes  with  the  rod, 
when  the  bait  has  conceal' d  the  slender  hook. 


628  TIBULLUS. 

Hope  also  comforts  the  prisoner  bound  in  chains; 
his  legs  rattle  with  the  fetters,  but  he  sings  in 
the  midst  of  his  work. 

Shakespeare  ("  Richard  III.,"  act  v.  sc.  2): — 

"  True  hope  is  swift,  and  flies  with  swallows'  wings, 
Kings  it  makes  gods,  and  meaner  creatures  kings." 

WINE. 

The  joyous  god  enlarges  the  soul:  he  subdued 
the  stubborn  hero  (Hercules),  and  made  him  sub- 
servient to  his  mistress.  He  overcame  Armenian 
tigresses  and  tawny  lionesses,  giving  a  soft  heart 
to  the  ungovernable. 

FORCED  LAUGHTER. 

Ah,  me!  how  difficult  it  is  to  imitate  false 
mirth;  how  difficult  to  mimic  cheerfulness  with 
a  sad  heart :  a  smile  suits  not  well  a  countenance 
that  belies  it;  nor  do  drunken  words  sound  well 
from  an  anxious  mind. 

WOES   OF   ANOTHER. 

Happy  thou  who  canst  learn  to  guard  against 
thy  own  ills  by  observing  those  of  another. 

PERJURIES  OF  LOVERS. 

Though  she  shall  boldly  swear  by  her  eyes,  by 
Juno  and  her  Venus,  there  is  nothing  in  it:  Jupi- 
ter laughs  at  the  perjuries  of  lovers,  and  throws 
them  idly  to  the  winds. 

A  LOVER'S  PRAYER. 

How  could  I,  blest  with  thee,  long  nights  employ? 
And  how  with  thee  the  longest  day  enjoy! 


VAEBO.  629 

THE   WILL   FOR   THE   DEED. 

Let  the  will  be  taken  for  the  deed,  nor  refuse 
the  gift  of  my  humble  muse. 


VAERO. 

BORN  B.C.    116 — DIED  B.C.   28. 

M.  TERENTIUS  VARRO,  the  most  learned  of  the 
Romans,  was  born  B.C.  116,  being  ten  years  young- 
er than  Cicero.  He  received  his  early  education 
from  L.  ^Elius  Stilo  Prseconinus,  who  was  fond  of 
antiquarian,  pursuits,  and  from  him  no  doubt  he 
imbibed  his  literary  tastes,  which  makes  St.  Au- 
gustine remark,  "  That  he  had  read  so  much  that 
it  is  astonishing  he  should  have  found  time  to 
write  anything,  and  he  wrote  so  much  that  it  is 
difficult  to  believe  that  any  one  could  find  time  to 
read  all  that  he  had  written."  In  what  way  he 
rose  in  the  service  of  the  State  has  not  been  hand- 
ed down  to  us,  but  he  was  employed  in  the  wars 
against  the  pirates  and  Mithridates.  He  was  at- 
tached to  the  party  of  the  senate,  and  shared  its 
fortunes  at  the  battle  of  Pharsalia,  B.C.  48.  He 
submitted  to  the  clemency  of  the  conqueror,  and 
was  received  into  favor  by  Ca3sar,  though  not 
before  Antony  had  plundered  and  destroyed  his 
villa,  with  all  his  books,  at  Casinum,  which  Cicero 
bitterly  laments.  He  was  proscribed  in  the  second 
triumvirate,  though  he  was  more  lucky  than 
Cicero,  as  he  contrived  to  conceal  himself  till  he 
had  secured  the  favor  of  Augustus.  From  this 
time  he  devoted  himself  to  the  seclusion  of  1't- 


630  VABRO. 

erary  life,  and  employed  himself  in  composing 
works,  which  amounted  at  last  to  four  hundred 
and  ninety  books.  They  are  nearly  all  lost. 

TO   PACK   UP   OUR   BAGGAGE   AT   END   OF  LIFE. 

For  my  eightieth  year  warns  me  to  pack  up  my 
baggage  before  I  leave  life.  ' 

THAT  MAN  OUGHT  TO  BE  COGNOSCED. 

He  who  overlooks  a  healthy  spot  for  the  site  of 
his  house  is  mad,  and  ought  to  be  handed  over  to 
the  care  of  his  relations  and  friends. 

GOD  MADE  THE  COUNTRY,  MAN  THE  TOWN. 

Nor  is  it  surprising,  because  it    is  Providence 
that  has  given  us  the  country  and  the*art  of  man 
that  has  built  the  cities. 
Cowper  ("  The  Task,"  1.  745)  has  appropriated  this  idea:  — 

"  God  made  the  country,  and  man  made  the  town." 
Cowley  ("The  Garden,"  Essay  v.):— 

"  God  the  first  garden  made,  and  the  first  city  Cain." 
And  Bacon  ("  Essays," — "  Of  Gardens  "): — 

"  God  Almighty  first  planted  a  garden." 

'llE   AVIIO   RUNS   MAY  HEAD." 

Thou  hast  read  what  I  have  written,  I  may  say, 
running  and  playing. 

Habakkuk  ii.  2,  says:— 

"  Write  the  vision,  and  make  it  plain  upon  tables,  that  he 
may  run  that  readeth  it." 

THE  CHILD. 

For  the  midwife  delivers  the  child,  the  nurse 
brings  it  up,  the  attendant  slave  forms  its  man- 
ners, and  tin1  master  teaches  it. 


VIRGIL.  631 

EVEKY  FAMILY  OUGHT  TO  WORSHIP  GOD. 

As  a  state  ought  to  acknowledge  God  in  its  pub- 
lic capacity,  so  ought  each  individual  family. 

So  Joshua  xxiv.  15  : — 

"  As  for  me,  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord." 


VIKGIL. 

BORN  B.C.   70 — DIED  B.C.    19. 

P.  VIRGILJUS  MARO  was  born  on  the  18th  of 
October  B.C.  70,  at  Andes,  a  small  village  near 
Mantua  in. Cisalpine  Gaul.  His  father  had  a  small 
estate  which  he  cultivated;  his  mother's  name 
was  Maia.  Virgil  was  educated  at  Cremona  and 
Mediolanum  (Milan),  and  is  said  to  have  studied 
subsequently  at  Naples  under  Parthenius,  a  native 
of  Bithynia.  It  is  evident  from  his  writings  that 
he  had  received  a  learned  education,  but  his  health 
was  feeble,  and  he  did  not  attempt  to  rise  to 
eminence  by  any  of  those  means  by  which  a  Ro- 
man earned  distinction.  After  the  defeat  of 
Brutus  and  Cassius,  B.C.  42,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
north  of  Italy  were  deprived  of  their  property 
that  the  victorious  soldiery  might  be  provided 
with  land,  and  among  others  Virgil  suffered. 
Through  the  intervention,  however,  of  his  friends 
at  Rome,  his  property  was  restored,  and  the  iirst 
eclogue  is  supposed  to  have  been  written  to  com- 
memorate his  gratitude  to  Augustus.  When  Au- 
gustus was  returning  from  Samos,  where  he  had 
spent  the  winter  of  B.C.  20,  he  met  Virgil  at  Ath- 
ens. It  is  said  that  the  poet  had  intended  to  make 


632  VIRGIL. 

a  tour  of  Greece,  but  he  accompanied  the  emperor 
to  Megara  and  thence  to  Italy.  His  health,  which 
had  been  long  declining,  was  now  completely 
broken  down,  and  he  died  soon  after  his  arrival  at 
Brundisium,  on  the  22d  September  B.C.  19.  His 
remains  were  transferred  to  Naples,  which  had 
been  his  favorite  residence,  and  placed  on  the 
road  from  Naples  to  Puteoli,  where  his  tomb  is 
still  shown. 

EXILE. 

We  are  leaving  our  country  and  its  sweet  fields. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Aiol.  28)  says  :— 

"  But  yet  it  is  a  sad  life  to  leave  the  fields  of  our  native 
country." 

So  Shakespeare  ("Richard  II.,"  act  i.  sc.  3)  says  : — 
"Then  England's  ground,  farewell !  sweet  soil,  adieu; 
My  mother,  and  my  nurse,  that  bears  me  yet  ! 
Where'er  I  wander,  boast  of  this  I  can, 
Though  banish'd,  yet  a  true-born  Englishman." 

ENVY. 

For  my  part  I  have  no  feeling  of  envy  at  your 
fortune ;  I  rather  am  surprised  at  your  luck. 

COMPARISONS. 

Thus  I  knew  that  whelps  were  like  to  their  sires, 
kids  to  their  mothers;  so  I  used  to  compare  great 
things  with  small. 

BRITAIN. 

And  Britons  wholly  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  world. 

CIVIL   DISCORD. 

Shall  some  barbarian  plant  and  sow  these  fields  ? 
See  to  what  a  state  civil  discord  has  brought 
wretched  citizens! 


VIRGIL.  633 

COUNTRY   LIFE. 

This  night,  at  least,  you  might  remain  with  me 
on  the  green  leaves;  we  have  plenty  of  excellent 
apples,  soft  chestnuts,  with  curds  and  cream;  sec, 
too,  the  curling  smoke  is  rising  from  the  cottages, 
and  the  lofty  mountains  are  throwing  out  their 
lengthening  shadows. 

TRUST   NOT  TO   BEAUTY. 

Though  he  was  black  and  thou  art  heavenly 
fair,  O  fair  boy,  trust  not  too  much  to  thy  beauty. 

EACH   FOLLOWS   HIS   OWN   PLEASURE. 

Alexis,  thou  art  chased  by  Corydon;  every  one 
pursues  his  own  pleasure. 

EVENING. 

See,  the  steers  are  bringing  back  the  ploughs 
suspended  from  the  yoke;  and  the  setting  sun  is 
doubling  the  lengthening  shadows;  yet  still  I  am 
burned  by  love;  what  bounds  can  be  set  to  love  ? 

SERVANTS. 

What  would  their  masters  do  when  their  knavish 
servants  prate  at  such  a  rate  I 

SPRING. 

And  now  every  field  is  clothed  with  grass,  every 
tree  with  leaves;  now  the  woods  put  forth  their 
blossoms;  now  the  year  assumes  its  gayest  attire. 

So  Shakespeare  ("  Winter's  Tale,"  act  iv.  sc.  3)  says:— 

"  O  Proserpina, 

For  the  flowers  now  that,  frightened,  thou  lett'st  fall 
From  Dis's  wagon !  daffodils, 
That  come  before  the  swallow  dares,  and  take 
The  winds  of  March  with  beauty ;  violets,  dim, 
But  sweeter  than  the  lids  of  Juno's  eyes, 


034  VIRGIL. 

Or  Cytherea's  breath;  pale  primroses, 
That  die  unmarried,  ere  they  can  behold 
Bright  Phoebus  in  his  strength,  a  malady 
Most  incident  to  maids:  bold  oxlips,  and 
The  crown  imperial ;  lilies  of  all  kinds, 
The  flower-de-luce  being  one  !  " 
Spenser  ("  Faerie  Queen,"  vi.):— 
"  So  forth  issued  the  seasons  of  the  year: 
First  lusty  spring  all  dight  in  leaves  of  flowers, 
That  freshly -budded  and  new  blooms  did  bear, 
In  which  a  thousand  birds  had  built  their  bowers, 
That  sweetly  sung  to  call  forth  paramours. 

BAD   TASTE. 

Let  him  who  does  not  hate  Bavius  love  thy 
verses.  Maevius;  and  let  him  join  foxes  in  the 
yoke  and  milk  he-goats,. 

THE   SECRET   SNAKE. 

Ye  boys,  who  are  gathering  flowers,  and  low- 
growing  flowers,  fly  hence,  a  cold  snake  is  lurking 
among  the  grass. 

DECISION    DIFFICULT. 

It  does  not  belong  to  us  to  settle  such  a  mighty 
dispute. 


O  divine  poet,  thy  poetry  is  as  charming  to  our 
ear  as  sleep  to  the  weary  swain,  as  to  the  feverish 
traveller  the  crystal  stream  with  which  he 
quenches  his  thirst. 

Theocritus  (Idyl.  viii.  77)  says  to  the  same  effect: — 
"  Sweet  is  it  in  summer  to  sleep  in  the  open  air  beside  run- 
ning water." 

POET'S  FAME. 
While  the  boar  delights  in  the  mountain  tops, 


VIRGIL.  635 

the  fish  in  the  rivers,  while  the  bees  feed  on  thyme, 
so  long  will  the  glory  of  thy  name  and  thy  praise 
remain. 

TO   SEEM   IS   ENOUGH. 

Loose  me,  boys;  it  is  enough  that  you  have 
seemed  able  to  overpower  me. 

ARCADIANS. 

Both  in  the  flower  of  their  age,  both  Arcadian 
swains,  able  to  sing  and  to  answer  in  alternate 
verses. 

Byron  ("  Don  Juan,"  cant.  iv.  st.  93)  thus  uses  the  expres- 
sion:— 

"  Arcades  ambo,"  id  est. 
Blackguards  both. 

BEAUTIES   OF   COUNTRY. 

The  ash  is  the  fairest  tree  in  the  woods,  the 
pine  in  the  gardens,  the  poplar  by  the  brooks,  the 
lir  on  the  high  mountains;  but,  O  fair  Lycidas,  if 
thou  wilt  oft  visit  me,  the  ash  in  the  woods  shall 
yield  to  thee,  and  the  pine  in  the  gardens. 

DIFFEKENCE   OF   POWERS. 

We  are  not  all  able  to  accomplish  the  same 
things. 

MANTUA. 

Ah  Mantua  too  near  to  the  wretched  Cremona! 

A  GOOSE. 
The  goose  gabbles  'midst  the  melodious  swans. 

TIME. 

Time  destroys  all  things,  even  the  powers  of  the 
mind. 


636  VIKGIL. 

LOVE   IS   NEVER   SATISFIED. 

Love  is  never  satisfied  with  tears,  sooner  are 
the  meadows  with  the  waters  of  the  rivulets,  the 
bees  with  the  cytisus,  and  the  goats  with  leaves. 

LOVE  CONQUERS  ALL  THINGS. 

Love  conquers  all;  and  we  must  yield  to  Love. 

MAN. 

Whence  men,  a  hard,  laborious  kind,  were  born. 

INDUSTRY. 

The  father  of  the  gods  himself  did  not  desire 
that  the  art  of  cultivating  the  ground  should  be 
easily  acquired;  he  was  the  first  to  turn  up  the 
soil  by  skill,  whetting  human  industry  by  care, 
nor  did  he  allow  his  reign  to  grow  torpid  by  slug- 
gishness. 

NECESSITY    MOTHER   OF   INVENTION. 

Jove  added  venom  to  the  black  vipers,  commis- 
sioned wolves  to  gather  their  prey,  and  the  sea  to 
be  lashed  by  the  raging  storms;  honey  he  shook 
from  the  leaves,  removing  from  human  reach  the 
cheerful  fire,  and  stopping  the  wine  which  ran  in 
rivulets,  that  man  might  gradually  through  expe- 
rience explore  useful  arts,  raising  corn  from  the 
furrows,  and  forcing  the  hidden  fire  from  the 
clashing  flints. 

INDUSTRY. 

Then  various  arts  succeeded  each  other;  perse- 
vering labor  overcomes  everything  and  pressing 
•want  in  the  midst  of  hard  penury. 

Franklin  says:— 

"S!  >rh  makes  all  things  difficult,  but  Industry  all  easy; 


VIRGIL.  637 

and  'he  that  riseth  ,late  must  trot  all  day,  and  shall  scarce 
overtake  his  business  at  night;  while  Laziness  travels  so 
slowly  that  Poverty  soon  overtakes  him." 

DEGENERACY   OF   MANKIND. 

Thus  all  things  by  the  decree  of  Fate  are  turned 
to  worse  and  carried  back,  just  as  the  rower,  who 
stems  the  current,  if  he  but  slack  his  arm,  is  borne 
down  the  channel  with  headlong  haste. 

THUNDER-STORM. 

The  father  of  the  gods  himself,  shrouded  in 
dark  storms,  darts  his  fiery  bolts  with  flashing 
right  hand,  making  the  mighty  earth  to  tremble ; 
the  wild  beasts  fly;  dark  horror  seizes  every  hu- 
man breast;  Athos,  Khodope,  and  lofty  Ceraunus 
topple  down  from  their  old  foundations;  the 
winds  redouble  their  fury;  woods  and  shores 
roar,  lashed  by  the  furious  winds*. 

CUSTOM. 

So  much  power  has  custom  over  tender  minds. 

This  is  the  advice  of  Solomon  (Proverbs  xxii.  6)  ;— 
"  Train  up  a  child  in.  the  way  he  should  go." 
Pope  (."  Moral  Essays,"  i.  pt.  2)  says:— 
"  Just  as  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree's  inclin'd." 

COMPETENCY. 

Praise  spacious  vineyards,  but  be  content  to 
cultivate  those  of  less  extent. 

COUNTRY   IIFE. 

O  too  happy  swains,  if  they  only  knew  their 
happy  state,  who,  far  removed  from  civil  broils, 
enjoy  the  fruits  poured  forth  by  Nature's  bounty. 
Though  no  lofty  palace  with  spacious  gates  sends 
f  jrth  crowds  of  early  visitants  from  every  entrance, 


638  VIRGIL. 

with  eager  eyes  devouring  variegated  posts  of 
beautiful  tortoise-shell,  gold-embroidered  dresses, 
figures  of  Corinthian  brass,  arras  purple-dyed, 
and  the  smell  of  costly  perfumes,  yet  he  enjoys 
easy  quiet,  a  harmless  life  that  knows  not  to  de- 
ceive, rich  in  home-bred  plenty,  the  joys  of  a  wide- 
extending  country,  grots,  and  crystal  lakes,  cool, 
groves,  the  lowing  of  cattle,  and  sweet  repose  at 
night;  woods  abounding  in  untamed  beasts;  there 
we  find  youth  inured  to  labor  and  accustomed  to 
homely  fare,  sacred  shrines  and  sires  of  venerable 
age;  here  Astraea,  as  she  left  the  earth,  showed 
the  last  traces  of  her  departing  steps. 

THE   HAPPY   MAN. 

/  Happy  the  man  who  has  been  able  to  dive  into 
Nature' slaws,  and  has  trampled  underfoot  fears 
and  unyielding  Fate,  laughing  at  the  approach  of 
all-subduing  death. 

THE   VARIOUS   LIVES  OF  MAN. 

Some  pass  their  lives  at  sea,  some  in  the  camp, 
others  frequent  the  palace  and  courts  of  kings; 
another  aims  at  the  destruction  of  the  city  and  its 
gods,  that  he  may  get  riches  to  enable  him  to 
drink  from  bowls  enchased  with  gems,  and  stretch 
his  limbs  on  Tyrian  purple;  another  hides  his 
wealth,  brooding  over  his  buried  store ;  this  man 
is  fond  of  popular  praise,  the  applause  of  lords 
and  commoners  delighting  his  ear  from  both 
benches.  Some  take  pleasure  in  the  slaughter  of 
their  brethren,  exchanging  their  sweet  homes  for 
exile,  and  seeking  lands  that  lie  beneath  another 
sun. 

FAME. 

I  must  attempt  new  ways,  by  which  I  may  raise 


VIRGIL.  639 

myself  from  the  ground  and  wing  my  flight  to 
fame. 

Theognis  has  the  same  idea  (1.  237) : — 

"  I  have  given  myself  wings  .  .  .  re-echoed  from  the  mouths 
of  many." 

Milton  ("  Tract  of  Education  ")  says:— 

"  Inflamed  with  the  study  of  learning  and  the  admiration 
of  virtue;  stirred  up  with  higli  hopes  of  living  to  be  brave 
men  and  worthy  patriots,  dear  to  god  and  famous  to  all 
ages." 

LIFE   OF  MAN. 

Youth,  the  best  part  of  life,  flies  quickly  from 
miserable  mortals;  diseases  succeed,  sad  old  age, 
anxious  labors,  and  death's  inexorable  doom  hurry 
them  off. 

Diphilus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1078  M.)  says:— 
"Man  may  look  for  trouble,  for  we  fall  in  with  woes  day 
after  day." 

NO  BEST. 

No  stop,  no  stay. 

EDUCATION. 

:  Begin  early  the  course  of  education,  while  the 
mind  is  pliant  and  age  is  flexible. 

LOVE. 

Thus  every  creature  on  earth,  man  and  beast, 
fish,  cattle,  and  birds  with  variegated  plumage, 
rush  into  the  fire  of  love;  Love  is  the  lord  of  all. 

Sir  W.  Scott  ("  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,"  cant.  iii.  St.  1) 
thus  paraphrases  the  idea:— 

"In  peace,  Love  tunes  the  shepherd's  reed; 
In  war,  he  mounts  the  warrior's  steed : 
In  halls,  in  gay  attire  is  seen ; 
In  hamlets,  dances  on  the  green. 
Love  rules  the  court,  the  camp,  the  grove. 
And  men  below,  and  saints  above ; 
For  love  is  heaven,  and  heaven  is  love." 


640  VIRGIL. 

LOVE  EXEMPLIFIED  BY  LEANDER. 

What  did  the  youth  Leander,  whom  love's  un- 
erring dart  transfixed;  alone,  by  night  amidst  the 
tempest's  roar,  he  swims  across  the  strait;  over 
him  the  rolling  thunder  rattles,  and  around  him 
the  billows  dashed  against  the  rocks  roar;  neither 
can  his  miserable  parents  call  him  back  nor  the 
virgin  (Hero)  doomed  to  die  on  the  sad  pile. 

TIME. 
Time  flies  not  to  be  recalled. 

VICE. 

The  vice  is  fed  and  gathers  strength  by  its  very 
concealment. 

PLEASURES  OF  COUNTRY   LIFE. 

What  avails  their  well-deserving  toil?  to  turn  up 
the  sluggish  soil;  but  no  draughts  of  Massic  wine 
nor  undigested  feasts  injure  their  stomachs;  they 
live  on  salad  and  simple  food;  their  drink  is  the 
crystal  springs  and  the  running  stream;  no  care 
deprives  them  of  healthful  sleep. 

LABOB. 

Slight  is  the  subject  but  the  praise  not  small. 

MIGHTY  SOULS. 

They  have  mighty  souls  in  tiny  bodies. 

THE   GRAVE. 

All  this  commotion  of  spirit  and  this  deadly 
fray  will  soon  rest  under  a  few  h&ndf  ills  of  dust, 
scattered  over  their  bodies. 


VIRGIL.  641 

THE   STUDIES   OF   INGLORIOUS   EASE. 

Indulging  in  the  pursuits  of  inglorious  ease. 

RESENTMENT  IN   HEAVENLY  MINDS. 

Is  there  so  great  wrath  to  be  found  in  the  breasts 
of  the  heavenly  gods? 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  book  vi.  788)  says: — 
"In  heavenly  Spirits  could  such  perverseness  dwell?" 

SECEET  RESENTMENT   CHERISHED. 

The  decision  of  Paris,  and  the  affront  offered  to 
her  slighted  beauty,  remain  deeply  treasured  up 
in  her  mind. 

HERE  AND  THERE. 

A  few  appear  swimming  here  and  there  amid  \ 
the  vast  and  roaring  abyss,  arms  of  men,  pictures    \   _/ 
of  Trojan  treasure  are  seen  scattered  over  the 

waves.  / 

A  TUMULT. 

And  as  in  a  mighty  crowd,  when  a  tumult  has 
arisen,  and  the  shouting  varletry  rage,  firebrands 
and  stones  fly,  their  fury  supplies  them  with  arms ; 
then,  if  it  chances  that  they  see  some  man  of  great 
influence  by  his  piety  and  merits,  they  are  silent 
and  stand  with  listening  ears;  he  directs  them  by 
his  words,  and  soothes  their  angry  mood. 

SCENERY. 

There  is  a  place  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  recess ; 
an  island  forms  a  secure  harbor  by  the  jutting  out 
of  its  sides,  against  which  every  wave  from  the 
deep  is  broken,  and  divides  itself  into  receding 
curves.  On  this  side  and  on  that  are  vast  rocks, 
and  twin-like  cliffs  raise  their  threatening  heads 
41 


C42  VIRGIL. 

towards  the  sky,  at  the  base  of  which  the  waters 
far  and  wide  lie  unruffled  and  calm:  then  again, 
crowning  the  high  grounds,  is  a  wall  of  foliage, 
formed  of  waving  trees,  while  a  grove,  dark  with 
gloomy  shade,  hangs  threatening  over.  Beneath 
the  brow,  as  it  fronts  the  view,  there  is  a  cave 
amid  hanging  cliffs;  within  sweet  water  and  seats 
in  the  natural  rock,  the  dwelling  of  the  Nymphs. 

THE  LONGEST  DAY  COMES  TO  AN  END. 

O  my  companions,  O  ye  who  have  endured 
greater  hardships  (for  we  are  not  unacquainted 
with  previous  ills),  God  will  put  an  end  to  these 
too. 

PAST  MISFORTUNES  REMEMBERED  WITH  PLEASURE. 

You,  too,  know  the  rocky  shore,  where  dwell 
the  Cyclops.  Resume  your  courage  and  away 
with  gloomy  fear.  Perhaps  it  will  delight  us  here- 
after to  recall  to  mind  even  the  present  dangers. 

PERSEVERANCE. 

Be  of  stout  heart,  and  preserve  yourselves  for 
better  times. 

DISSIMULATION. 

And  sick  at  heart  with  mighty  cares,  he  assumes 
an  appearance  of  hope  in  his  look,  keeping  deep 
sorrow  down  in  his  breast. 

Shakespeare  ("  Macbeth,"  act  i.  sc.  5)  says:-^ 

"  To  beguile  the  time, 

Look  like  the  tune ;  bear  welcome  in  your  eye, 

Your  hand,  your  tongue:  look  like  the  innocent  flower, 

But  be  the  serpent  under  it." 

ROMANS. 

Nay,  the  harsh  spirited  Juno  herself,  who  now 


VIRGIL.  64C 

wearies  out,  by  the  fears  she  excites,  the  sea,  the 
earth,  and  the  heaven,  shall  change  her  counsels 
for  the  better,  and  shall  cherish  with  me  the  Ro- 
mans, the  lords  of  the  world  and  the  gowned  na 
tion. 

THE  GOLDEN  AGE  SHALL,  KETUEN. 

The  Faith  of  the  good  old  times,  Vesta,  Romu- 
lus, with  his  brother  Remus,  shall  administer  jus- 
tice: the  cruel  gates  of  War  shall  be  closed  with 
bolts  and  iron  bars:  impious  Fury  within,  seated 
on  savage  arms  and  bound  with  a  hundred  brazen 
chains,  shall  roar  horribly  with  blood-stained 
mouth. 

VENUS. 

She  said,  and,  turning  away,  flashed  on  the  view 
with  her  rosy  neck,  and  from  her  head  the  ambro- 
sial locks  breathed  a  heavenly  odor*  her  robes  de- 
scended to  the  ground  in  a  sweep,  and  in  her  gait 
the  true  goddess  was  displayed  to  view. 


Such  toil  is  theirs,  as  that  of  bees,  beneath  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  throughout  the  flowery  fields,  in 
the  beginning  of  summer,  when  they  lead  forth 
their  grown-up  offspring,  or  when  they  stow  away 
the  liquid  honey  and  fill  the  cells  with  sweet  nec- 
tar; or  receive  the  loads  of  the  bees  coming  in.  or, 
forming  a  band,  drive  from  the  hives  the  lazy 
drones:  the  work  goes  busily  forward,  and  the 
fragrant  honey  is  redolent  of  thyme. 
Shakespeare  ("  Henry  V.,"  act  i.  sc.  2)  says:— 

"  So  work  the  honey  bees; 
Creatures,  that  by  a  rule  in  nature  teach 
The  art  of  order  to  a  peopled  kingdom. 
They  have  a  king,  and  officers  of  sorts; 


(U4  VIKGIL. 

Where  some,  like  magistrates,  correct  at  home; 

Others,  like  merchants,  venture  trade  abroad ; 

Others,  like  soldiers,  armed  in  their  stings, 

Make  boot  upon  the  summer's  velvet  buds; 

Which  pillage  they  with  merry  march  bring  home, 

To  the  tent-royal  of  their  emperor; 

Who,  busied  in  his  majesty,  surveys 

The  siiiKing  masons  building  roofs  of  gold; 

The  civil  citizens  kneading  up  the  honey; 

The  poor  mechanic  porters  crowding  in 

Their  heavy  burdens  at  his  narrow  gate; 

The  sad-eyed  justice,  with  his  surly  hum, 

Delivering  o'er  to.  executors  pale 

The  lazy  yawning  drone."' 

So  Homer  (II.  ii.  87)  says:  — 

"As  the  swarms  of  thick -flying  bees,  issuing  ever  fresh 
from  a  hollow  rock,  fly  in  clusters  on  the  vernal  flowers:  in 
crowds  here  and  in  crowds  there." 

Milton,  too  ("Paradise  Lost,''  i.  74S),  says: — 

"  As  bees 

In  spring-time,  when  the  sun  with  Taurus  rides, 
Pour  forth  their  populous  youth  about  the  hive 
In  clusters:  they  among  fresh  dews  and  flowers, 
Fly  to  and  fro,  or  on  the  smoothed  plank, 
The  suburb  of  their  straw-built  citadel, 
Now  rubb'd  with  balm,  expatiate  and  confer 
Their  state  affairs." 

TEAKS. 

See,  here  is  our  Priam.'  Even  here  has  praise- 
worthy conduct  its  reward;  even  here  are  tears  for 
misfortunes,  and  human  affairs  exert  a  touching 
influence  on  the  heart.  Away  with  fear ;  this  fame 
of  our  deeds  of  glory  \viil  bring  safety.  Thus  he 
speaks  and  dotes  on  the  unreal  picture. 

THE  (sous  AI:K  JUST. 
, 
I    If  you  pay  no  attention  to  the  opinion  which 

men  will  have  of  such  conduct,  and  despise  the 
vengeance  which  they  may  seek  to  inflict,  at  least 
recollc  <  t  that  the  gods  ;i:r  mindi'ul  of  right  and 
wn>n 


045 


TROJAN   AND  TYIUAN. 

Trojan  and  Tyrian  shall  be  treated  by  me  with- 
out distinction. 

AENEAS. 

There  stood  /Eneas  and  shone  forth  in  full 
effulgence,  in  visage  and  in  shoulders  like  a  god: 
for  his  mother  herself  had  breathed  upon  her  son 
beautiful  locks  and  the  bright  light  of  youth, 
kindling  up  sparkling  graces  in  his  eyes;  such 
beauty  as  the  hand  of  the  artist  imparts  to  ivory 
or  silver  or  Parian  marl  Je.  when  the  skill  of  the 
artist  has  been  expended  upon  them. 

ETERNAL     FAME. 

May  the  gods  give  thee  a  just  reward,  if  there 
be  any  gods  that  have  a  regard  to  the  pious,  if 
justice  and  a  mind  conscious  to  itself  of  rectitude 
be  anywhere  aught  save  an  empty  name.  What 
times  so  fortunate  have  produced  thcc?  what  so 
illustrious  parents  have  brought  thee  forth?  As 
long  as  the  rivers  shall  ilow  into  the  sea,  as  long 
as  the  shadows  of  the  mountains  shall  traverse 
their  projecting  sides,  as  long  as  heaven  shall  feed 
the  stars,  thy  honor,  thy  name,  and  praises  shall 
ever  survive,  in  whatever  land  I  may  be  fated  to 
live. 

TO  PITY  OTHERS'  WOES  FROM  HAVING  FELT  THEM. 

Not  ignorant  of  misfortune,  I  learn  from  my 
own  woes  to  succor  the  wretched. 
Gray  ("  Hymn  to  Adversity  "):— 
"  What  sorrow  was,  tliou  luul'st  her  know, 

And  from  her  own.  she  Icnrn'd  to  melt  at  other's  woe." 
Campbell .("  Gertrude  of  Wyoming1,"  part  i.  v.  23):— 
"He  soorn'd  his  own,  who  felt  .'mothers'  woe." 


646  VIRGIL. 

Garrick  ("Prologue  on  Quitting  the  Stage  in  1776)  says:— 
"Their  cause  I  plead,— plead  it  in  heart  and  mind; 

A  fellow-feeling  makes  one  wondrous  kind." 
And  Burton  ("  Anatomy  of  Melancholy  "):— 
"I  would  help  others  out  of  a  fellow-feeling." 

DESTRUCTION   OF  TROY. 

0  Queen,  thou  orderest  me  to  renew  unutterable 
woe;  to  tell  how  the  Greeks  overthrew  the  Trojan 
power  and  kingdom,  as  well  as  those  sad  scenes 
which  I  myself  beheld,  and  in  which  I  personally 
took  a  conspicuous  share.     Who  of  the  Myrmidons 
or  Dolopians,  or  what  soldier  of  the  cruel  Ulysses 
could  refrain  from  tears  as  he  relates  such  things? 
And  now  dewy  night  rushes  downward  and  the 
sinking  stars  invite  to  repose.     But  if  thou  art 
really  anxious  to  become  acquainted  with  our  mis- 
fortunes, and  to  hear  briefly  the  last  sad  fate  of 
Troy,  though  my  mind  shudders    at  the  remem- 
brance and  shrinks  back  through  grief,  I  never- 
theless will  begin. 

THE    VULGAR. 

The  wavering  populace  are   divided  into  con- 
flicting opinions. 

THE   GREEKS. 

1  dread  the  Greeks  even  when  bringing  gifts. 
Sophocles  (Ajax,  065)  says  to  the  same  effect: — 

"  The  gifts  of  enemies  are  no  gifts  and  pernicious.'' 
And  Milton  ("  Paradise  Regained,"  book  ii.  1.  391)  expresses 
the  same  idea: — 

"  Thy  pompous  delicacies  I  contemn, 
And  count  thy  precious  gifts  no  gifts,  but  guiles. 

INFATUATION   OF   MAN. 

If  our  own  minds  had  not  been  infatuated. 


VIRGIL.  647 

A  SAMPLE. 

Listen  now  to  the  treachery  of  the  Greeks,  and 
from  one  instance  of  their  wicked  conduct  learn 
the  character  of  the  whole  nation. 

INSINUATIONS.  ^f~* 

From  this  time  they  begin  to  spread  ambig- 
uously-worded rumors  among  the  crowd. 

ALL,   PLEASED     THAT    THE    THREATENED   DANGER 
SHOULD   FALL   ON   ANOTHER. 

Those  very  things  which  each  feared  would 
happen  to  himself,  he  endured  with  patience 
when  he  saw  that  they  were  to  effect  the  ruin  of 
another. 


Ah  me,  how  he  looked !  how  changed  from  that 
Hector  who  returned  from  the  battle-field  arrayed 
in  the  spoils  of  Achilles. 

Wordsworth  ("  Poems  of  the  Imagination,"  xxix.)  adopts 
this  idea: — 

"  Like— but  oh:  how  different." 
And  Milton:— 

"  How  fallen,  how  changed 
From  him,  who,  in  the  happy  realms  of  light, 
Clothed  with  transcendent  brightness,  did'st  outshine 
Myriads,  though  bright." 

DESCRIPTION  OF  FIRE  AND  TORMENTS. 

As  when  fire  has  seized  on  a  field  of  standing 
corn,  while  the  wind  rages,  or  a  rapid  mountain 
torrent  lays  waste  the  fields,  the  joyous  crops, 
and  the  labors  of  the  oxen,  carrying  down  with  it 
the  woods,  the  astonished  shepherd  listens  to  the 
loud  uproar  from  the  top  of  some  rock. 


648  VIRGIL. 

A  NEIGHBOR'S  HOUSE  ON  FIRE. 
The  house  of  Ucalegon  that  is  next  catches  fire. 

PATRIOTISM. 

I  madly  seize  my  arms;  and  yet  there  was  little 
sense  in  doing  so:  I  burn,  however,  to  gather  a 
band  for  the  conflict,  and  to  dabh  with  my  associ- 
ates into  the-  citadel.  Fury  and  passion  urge  me 
forward,  and  I  feel  that  it  is  honorable  to  die  in 
arms. 

DESTRUCTION    OF  TROY. 

The  last  day  and  doom  of  Troy  has  come.  We 
were  once  Trojans;  Troy  once  stood  and  the 
mighty  glory  of  the  Trojans. 

DESPAIR  OF   LIFE. 

The  only  safety  that  remains  for  the  vanquished 
is  to  expect  no  safety. 
Corneille  says: — 

"  Le  courage  cst  souvent  un  effet  de  la  peur.  ' 

DESCRIPTION   OF   BATTLE. 

At  times  courage  returns  even  to  the  breasts  of 
the  vanquished;  and  the  victorious  Greeks  bite 
the  ground:  everywhere  you  see  sad  lamentation, 
everywhere  consternation  and  many  a  form  of 
death. 

FORTUNE   SMILES. 

Thus  fortune  on  our  first  endeavor  smiled. 

AN   ENEMY. 

Whether  it  be  deceit  or  bravery,  who  inquires  in 
the  case  of  an  enemy? 


VIRGIL.  WJ 

THE   GODS    UNWILLING. 

Alas!  no  one  need  feel  confidence  when  the  gods 
are  opposed. 

THE   GODS. 

Heaven  thought  not  so. 

THESE   TIMES   WANT   OTHER   AIDS. 

O  most  wretched  husband,  why  has  so  fearful  a 
resolution  urged  thee  to  array  thyself  in  these 
arms  ?  or  whither  rushest  thou  ?  she  says.  The 
crisis  requires  not  such  aid  nor  such  defenders,  as 
thou  art. 

A   FEEBLE    WEAPON. 

A  feeble  weapon  inflicting  no  wound. 

DEATH   OF   PRIAM. 

Such  was  the  close  of  Priam's  life:  this  was  his 
doom  to  see  Troy  in  flames  and  her  houses  in 
ruins,  the  proud  queen  of  Asia  over  so  many  na- 
tions and  lands.  He  lies  on  the  shore  a  huge 
trunk,  his  head  torn  from  his  shoulders  and  a 
nameless  body. 

PUNISHMENT   OF   A   WOMAN. 

For  though  there  be  no  glory  in  the  punishment 
of  a  woman,  nor  is  there  in  such  a  victory  any 
cause  for  joy,  yet  I  shall  be  lauded  for  having  got 
rid  of  an  abandoned  wretch,  and  exacted  from 
her  well-merited  punishment,  and  I  shall  be  de- 
lighted to  have  sated  my  burning  desire  of  ven- 
geance, and  rendered  full  atonement  to  the  ashes 
of  my  countrymen. 


650  VIRGIL. 

THE  WANT  OF  A  GRAVE. 

To  be  without  a  grave  matters  little. 

DANGER. 

Whatever  may  be  our  lot,  there  is  one  common 
danger. 

PACES  UNEQUAL. 

And  with  unequal  paces  tript  along. 

A  SPECTRE. 

While  I  was  searching  and  rushing  unceasingly 
through  the  houses  of  the  city,  the  unhappy  spec- 
tre and  shade  of  Creusa  herself  rose  before  my 
eyes  and  her  image  larger  than  life.  I  was  aston- 
ished, my  hair  stood  on  end,  and  my  tongue  clung 
to  the  roof  of  my  mouth. 

GOLD. 

Cursed  craving  for  gold,  what  dost  thou  not 
force  mortals  to  perpetrate. 

Angot,  in  his  "Pistolles,  ou  Tin  jure  du  sidcle,"  one  of  his 
satires,  says: — 

"  Si  le  diable  etoit  or,  il  deviendroit  monnoie." 
Hood  says:— 

"Gold!  gold!  gold!  gold! 
Bright  and  yellow,  hard  and  cold." 

ADMONITIONS. 

Admonished  let  us  follow  better  counsels. 

THE   SIBYL. 

Thou  shalt  behold  a  wild,  raving  prophetess, 
who,  in  a  deep  cavern,  reveals  the  decrees  of  fate, 
and  commits  her  oracles  to  leaves.  Whatever 


VIRGIL.  651 

oracular  responses  she  has  placed  on  leaves,  she 
arranges  in  order  and  leaves  them  shut  up  in  her 
cave.  They  remain  immovable  nor  issue  from  the 
order  in  which  they  have  been  placed.  And  yet 
these  same,  when,  on  the  hinge  being  turned,  a 
slight  current  of  air  has  set  them  in  motion,  and 
the  opening  door  hath  disturbed  the  tender  leaves, 
she  never  afterwards  cares  to  arrest,  as  they  flut- 
ter through  the  hollow  cave,  or  to  restore  their 
former  positions  nor  connect  once  more  her  pre- 
dictions. They  who  apply  depart  in  this  way 
without  a  response,  and  hate  the  habitation  of 
the  Sibyl. 

FORTUNE. 

Live  happy  ye,  the  course  of  whose  fortune  is 
now  completely  run;  we  are  summoned  from  one 
fate  to  another. 


But  .(Etna  thunders  close  by  with  frightful 
crushings,  and  sometimes  bursting,  it  sends  forth 
a  black  cloud  to  the  air,  smoking  with  pitchy 
whirlwind  and  glowing  ember;  and  raises  fire- 
balls, licking  the  stars;  sometimes  with  loud  ex- 
plosions it  casts  up  rocks  and  the  torn  bowels  of 
the  mountain;  and  with  a  deep  internal  roar,  it 
"neaps  up  melted  stones  high  in  air,  and  boils  vio- 
lently from  its  lowest  bottom. 

A   MOXSTER. 

A  horrid  monster,  misshapen,  huge,  from  whom 
sight  had  been  taken  away.  A  pine-tree  in  his 
hand,  lopped  of  its  branches,  guides  and  steadies 
his  steps.  Woolly  sheep  accompany  him;  that  is 
the  only  pleasure  and  solace  for  his  misfortune. 


652  VIRGIL. 


TBACES   OF   ANCIENT    FLAME. 

I  again  feel  the  flame  of  love  as  I  formerly  felt 
it. 


THE   MAXES. 

Do  you  think  that  the  ashes  of  the  dead,  or  the 
manes  laid  at  rest  in  the  tomb,  care  for  that  ? 

LOVE. 
The  hidden  wound  keeps  rankling  in  the  breast. 

LOVE. 
The  fatal  dart  sticks  in  her  side. 

ASCANIUS. 

But  the  boy  Ascanius,  in  the  midst  of  the  valley, 
delights  in  his  spirited  steed,  and  passes  now 
these,  now  those  in  the  course,  and  wishes  a  foam- 
ing boar  to  be  given  to  his  prayers  amid  the  uu- 
warlike  herds,  or  that  a  tawny  lion  should  descend 
from  the  mountain. 

BEAUTIFUL   DESCRIPTION   OF   FAME. 

Forthwith  a  rumor  passes  through  the  mighty 
cities  of  Libya:  rumor,  an  evil,  than  which  there 
is  no  gi'eater;  she  nourishes  by  her  very  activity, 
and  gains  strength  as  she  moves  along,  small  at 
first  through  fear;  by  and  by  she  raises  herse.h' 
into  the  air,  stalking  upon  the  ground,  and  at  the 
same  time  hiding  her  head  among  the  clouds. 
Parent  Earth,  incensed  at  the  anger  of  the  gods, 
brought  her  forth  the  youngest  sister,  as  they  say, 
to  Coeus  and  Enceladus,  quick  in  feet  and 
wings.  A  monster,  horrible  and  huge,  to  whom, 
as  many  feathers  as  there  are  upon  her  body,  so 


VIEGIL.  653 

many  sleepless  eyes  are  there  beneath,  wonderful 
to  be  said,  so  many  tongues,  so  many  mouths  bab- 
ble forth,  so  many  ears  she  pricks  up.  By  night 
she  flies  midway  between  heaven  and  earth 
through  the  gloom,  with  a  rushing  sound  of  her 
pinions,  nor  does  she  close  her  eyes  in  sweet  sleep. 
By  day  she  sits  as  a  spy,  either  on  the  top  of  some 
lofty  house,  or  some  high  tower,  terrifying  mighty 
cities:  as  tenacious  of  what  is  false  and  wicked,  as 
an  announcer  of  what  is  true. 

TO  CHOOSE  THE  SOFTEST  HOURS. 

That  he  meanwhile,  since  the  generous  Dido  is 
ignorant  of  what  is  passing,  and  does  not  imagine 
that  such  love  can  be  broken,  will  try  gentle  ave- 
nues of  approach  to  her  feelings,  and  what  may  be 
the  most  fitting  moments  for  addressing  her; 
what  mode  of  proceeding  may  be  most  favorable. 

Tennyson  says: — 

"  When  his  heart  is  glad 
Of  the  full  harvest  I  will  speak  to  him." 

JEALOUSY. 

But  the  queen  had  a  presentiment  of  their  hidden 
projects  (for  who  can  deceive  a  lover?)  and  was 
the  first  to  discover  their  intended  movements, 
fearing  all  things,  though  they  seemed  to  be  safe. 

A  HAEDEXEI)    WUKTCH. 

No  goddess  was  thy  mother  nor  Dardanus  thy 
forefather,  thou  traitor;  but  Caucasus,  in  horror 
drest  with  its  flinty  rocks,  gave  thec  being,  'and 
the  Hyrcanian  tigress  gave  thee  suck. 

FAITHLESSNESS. 

Nowhere  is  there  faith  on  earth. 


654  VIRGIL. 

ANTS. 

As  when  ants  plunder  a  large  heap  of  grain, 
mindful  of  winter,  and  lay  it  up  in  their  nests; 
the  black  column  issues  into  the  fields,  carrying 
their  booty  through  the  grass  in  a  narrow  track; 
some  struggling,  push  forward  with  their  shoul- 
ders large  piles  of  corn ;  others  keep  together  the 
column  of  march  and  chastise  the  dilatory:  the 
whole  path  glows  with  industrious  labor. 


All-powerful  Love,  to  what  dost  thou  not  force 
mortals. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  NIGHT. 

It  was  night,  and  weary  mortals  were  enjoying 
quiet  rest  on  earth,  the  woods  and  murmuring 
seas  were  still;  it  was  when  the  stars  were  rolling 
in  mid-course,  when  the  whole  country  was  silent, 
cattle  and  parti-colored  birds,  both  those  which 
occupy  the  liquid  lakes,  and  those  which  haunt 
the  fields  rough  with  bushes;  luried  in  sleep 
during  the  silent  night,  they  were  lulling  to  rest 
their  cares,  and  their  hearts  were  now  forgetful  of 
toils. 

This  is  in  imitation  of  ApolloniusEhodius  (Argon,  iv.  1058):— 
"  Sleep-bringing  night  had  spread  itself  ovei*the  crowds  of 
weary  men,  and  had  given  rest  to  the  whole  earth." 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Regained,"  i.,  at  the  end): — 

"  Now  began 

Night  with  her  sullen  wings  to  double-shade 
The  desert:  fowls  in  their  clay  nests  were  couch'd, 
And  now  vriM  beaste  came  forth,  the  woods  to  roam," 

WOMAN". 

Come  away!  break  through  all  delays ;  woman  is 
a  fickle  and  changeful  thing. 


VIRGIL.  655 

END   OF   LIFE. 

I  have  lived  and  finished  the  course  which  fort- 
une had  given  me;  now  a  mighty  fame  of  me  shall 
spread  through  the  earth. 

So  2  Timothy  iv.  7:— 

"  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I 
have  kept  the  faith." 

AN   ANNIVERSARY  OF  A  FATHER'S  DEATH. 

The  day  is  at  hand  which  I  shall  reckon  forever 
sad,  forever  dear,  so  it  has  willed  the  gods. 

RAINBOW. 

As  the  bow  in  the  clouds  sends  forth  a  thousand 
varied  colors  from  the  reflection  of  the  sun's  rays. 

FLY   DANGERS. 

Keep  close  to  the  shore,  let  others  launch  into 
the  main. 

THE  DOVE. 

As  the  dove,  suddenly  roused  from  her  covert, 
whose  home  and  beloved  nest  are  in  some  rock 
full  of  hiding-places,  rushes  flying  into  the  fields, 
and  scared  from  her  abode,  gives  forth  a  loud 
flapping  with  her  wings ;  by  and  by  gliding  through 
the  still  air,  she  skims  along  her  liquid  way  nor 
moves  her  swift  wings. 

A  CONQUEROR. 

These  are  indignant  should  they  not  retain 
their  own  glory  and  the  honors  already  in  their 
grasp,  willing  to  barter  life  for  fame.  Those 
success  feeds  with  fresh  hopes;  they  are  able  to 
conquer,  because  they  seem  to  be  able. 


NEXT,   BUT   AT  A   LONG    INTERVAL. 

Next,  but  at  a  long  interval. 


And  merit  appearing  more  beautiful  in  a  beau- 
teous form. 

A    BOXER. 

Having  drawn  back  bis  right  band,  be  levelled 
from  on  high  his  bard  gauntlet  between  the  horns, 
and  drove  it  into  the  bones,  dashing  the  brains 
out;  the  ox,  quivering,  falls  lifeless. 

TO   RETIRE   FROM     ACTIVE   LIFE. 

From  this  time  I  lay  aside  my  gauntlets  and 
renounce  my  profession. 

PATIENCE. 

Let  us  follow  withersoever  the  fates  lead  us. 
Whatever  shall  befall  us,  every  kind  of  fortune  is 
to  be  surmounted  Ly  patiently  enduring  it. 

COWARDS. 

They  enrol  mothers  for  the  city,  and  set  apart 
the  people  that  wished  it,  souls  that  dare  not 
hazard  life  for  future  fame. 

Euripides  (Fr.  Archel.  9)  says:— 

"  Is  it  not  right  for  me  to  endure  toils?  Without  toils  what 
man  has  become  glorious:1  Who  that  is  a  craven  has  reached 
the  highest  fame? " 

VALOR. 
Few  in  number,  but  ardent  for  war. 

SKA    TREACHEROUS. 

Dost  thou  bid  me  be  ignorant  of  the  aspect  of 


VIEGIL.  657 

the  calm  sea  and  of  its  quiet  waters?    Shall  I 
trust  this  treacherous  appearance? 

FROWNS     OF    FORTUNE. 

Do  not  yield  to  misfortunes,  but  advance 
against  them  with  a  bolder  front  in  whatever  way 
fortune  shall  permit  thec. 

TRUTH   CONCEALED. 

Some  truths  reveal'd,  in  terms  involv'd  the  rest. 

PLUTO'S  PORTALS  ALWAYS    OPKX. 

He  was  entreating  thus,  and  kept  clinging  to 
the  horns  of  the  altar,  when  the  prophetess  thus 
began  to  speak:  O  thou  that  art  sprung  from  the 
blood  of  the  gods,  Trojan  son  of  Anehisas,  the 
descent  to  the  world  below  is  easy,  the  gate  of 
gloomy  Pluto  lies  open  night  and  day,  but  to  re- 
trace one's  steps  and  reach  again  the  upper  air,' 
this  is  the  real  labor,  this  is  the  true  difficulty. 
A  few,  whom  the  favor  of  heaven  or  brilliant 
merit  hath  exalted  to  the  skies,  sous  of  the  gods, 
have  been  able  to  effect  it. 

TIIK   BRANCH   OF   GOLD. 

The  fair  Proserpine  has  ordained  that  this  gift 
lie  brought  as  one  peculiarly  dear.  One  branch 
being  plucked,  another  golden  one  occupies  its 
place,  and  a  twig  of  similar  metal  puts  forth 
leaves. 

THE  PROFANE. 

Far  hence  be  souls  profane! 

NOW   THERE    IS   NEED   OF   FIRMNESS. 

Now  there  is  need  of  courage,  ^Eneas,  now  of  a 
firm  purpose. 
42 


(558  VIRGIL. 

SHADES   DELOAV. 

Ye  gods,  who  preside  over  the  souls  of  the  dead, 
and  silent  shades,  Chaos  and  Phlegethon,  places 
wrapped  in  silent  night,  let  me  be  allowed  to  tell 
what  I  have  heard;  may  it  be  allowed  me,  by  your 
divine  permission,  to  disclose  things  hidden  in  the 
depth  of  the  earth  and  in  darkness.  They  moved 
along,  amidst  the  gloom  of  night's  dark  pall, 
through  the  empty  halls  of  Pluto  and  solitary 
kingdom;  as  men  journey  in  woods  by  the  un- 
steady rays  of  the  moon,  beneath  the  faint  «,nd 
glimmering  light  when  Jupiter  obscures  the 
heaven  in  clouds,  and  gloomy  night  has  robbed 
surrounding  objects  of  their  hue. 

THE   VESTIBULE   OF   PLUTO'S   REALMS. 

Before  the  porch  itself,  within  the  jaws  of  Hell, 
Grief  and  avenging  Cares  have  placed  their  couch- 
es; there  dwell  pale  Diseases,  sorrowing  Age, 
Despondency,  and  ill-prompting  Hunger,  and 
loathsome  Want,  shapes  terrible  to  see:  Death, 
and  Labor,  and  Sleep,  twin-born  with  Death, 
and  the  criminal  Lusts  of  the  heart,  and  death- 
1 'ringing  War  near  the  opening  door;  and  the  iron 
bedchambers  of  the  Furies  and  maddening  Dis- 
cord, her  viper's  tresses  bound  up  with  bloody 
fillets. 

OLD   AGE. 

Though  advanced  in  years,  the  god  has  a  fresh 
and  green  old  age. 
Dryden  (CEdipus.  act  iii.  sc.  1)  says: — 

"  His  hair  just  grizzled 
As  in  a  green  old  age.'1 

LEAVES   IX    AUTUMN. 

Thick  as  leaves  that  fall  in  the  woods  on  the 


VIRGIL.  659 

first  cold  of  autumn,  or  dense  as  birds  that  flock 
to  the  land  from  the  troubled  deep,  when  frigid 
winter  sends  them  across  the  sea  to  sunny  climes. 

SHADES   BELOW. 

Son  of  Anchises,  undoubted  offspring  of  the 
gods,  thou  seest  the  streams  of  Cocytus  and  Sty- 
gian marsh,  whose  divinity  the  gods  fear  to  swear 
by,  and  fail  in  their  oath.  All  that  thou  seest,  is 
a  wretched  unburied  crowd:  yon  ferryman  is 
Charon;  those  who  are  being  ferried  across  have 
obtained  the  rites  of  burial :  for  it  is  not  allowed 
to  carry  them  across  these  fearful  banks  or  hoarse- 
sounding  waters  before  their  bones  have  rested  in 
the  grave;  they  wander  about  for  one  hundred 
years  and  hover  about  these  shores:  then  at  length 
being  admitted  into  the  boat,  they  behold  the 
much-wished-for  waters. 

FATES   INEXORABLE. 

Cease  to  think  that  the  fixed  decrees  of  heaven 
can  be  changed  by  prayers. 

KETKIBUTIVE   JUSTICE. 

Warned  by  my  fate,  learn  to  ol  serve  justice  and 
not  to  despise  the  gods.  This  man  sold  his  coun- 
try for  gold. 

ELYSIUM. 

They  reached  pleasant  spots,  the  delightful  verd- 
ure of  the  Fortunate  graves,  and  abodes  of  the 
happy.  A  freer  and  purer  sky  here  clothes  the 
fields  with  resplendent  light;  they  enjoy  their 
own  sun,  their  own  stars.  Some  are  exercising 
their  limbs  in  grassy  plains,  are  contending  in  play 
and  struggling  on  the  yellow  sand:  some  are 


660  VIRGIL. 

striking  the  ground  with  their  feet  in  the  loud  ic- 
sounding  dance  and  singing  songs. 

Miltou  at  the  end  of  "  Comus  "  thus  beautifully  expres^-e0- 
the  idea:— 

"  To  the  ocean  now  I  fly, 
And  these  happy  climes,  that  lie 
Where  day  never  shuts  his  eye." 

ABODES   OF   THE   BLESSED. 

Behold  be  sees  some  right  and  left  feasting  <»i 
the  grass,  and  singing  joyfully  in  chorus,  beneath 
a  sweet-smelling  laurel  grove,  where  mighty  Po 
rolls  through  a  wood  from  the  world  above.  Here 
are  found  bands  of  those  who  hav,  suffered 
wounds  fighting  for  their  country,  ami  who  were 
priests  of  unblemished  life  while  they  lived,  and 
who  were  holy  bards  delivering  songs  worthy  of 
A.pollo. 


Or  those  who  have  improver1,  life  by  their  inven- 
tions, and  those  who,  bv  deserving  well,  have 
handed  their  names  do-^u  to  posterity. 


As  in  meadows,  where  bees,  on  a  calm  summer's 
day,  light  ou  various  Mowers,  and  Mutter  round 
white  lilies:  *,ne  whole  field  resounds  with  their 
busy  hum. 


The  thmk'Ug  principle  moves  the  whole  mass, 
and  nnjgJes  itself  with  the  great  body. 

OUR   OWX  1JUI5DEX   MUST   BE   BORNE. 

We  endure  each  the  burden  of  punishment  im- 
posed upon  our  Manes  in  the  world  below. 


VIRGIL.  061 

Apollodorus  (Fr.  Com.  Gr.  p.  1112,  M.)  says: — 
"  Fortune  is  a  sad,  sad  thing;  but  we  must  bear  her  as  we 
best  may  as  a  burden." 
So  Galatians  vi.  5: — 

"  For  every  man  shall  bear  his  own  burden." 

MIGHTY    EMPIHE. 

He  shall  extend  his  sway  over  the  Garamantes 
and  Indians. 


Sent  from  humble  Cures  and  a  poor  estate  to  a 
great  empire. 


Whither,  ye  Fabii,  do  ye  hurry  me,  exhausted  ? 
Thou  art  that  Maximus,  greatest  of  the  name,  who 
alone  by  delays  restorest  our  empire. 

DESCRIPTION   OF   ROMANS. 

Others,  I  do  not  doubt,  will  mould  the  breath- 
ing brass  more  like  to  nature,  draw  features  more 
instinct  with  life  from  marble,  plead  causes  with 
ir,  'i-p  eloquence,  describe  better  with  the  rod  the 
movements  in  the  heavens,  and  explain  more 
clearly  the  rising  of  the  stars,  do  thou,  Roman, 
rule  nations  with  firmness:  such  be  thy  distinctive 
character,  and  to  impose  terms  of  peace,  spare 
the  vanquished,  and  trample  on  the  proud. 

MAKCKLLUS. 

What  piety  shall  be  his!  what  integrity  like  that 
of  the  good  old  times  and  unyielding  bravery! 
No  antagonist  could  have  met  him  in  arms  with 
impunity,  whether  advancing  on  foot  or  on  horse- 
back. Alas,  boy  to  be  pitied,  if  in  any  way  thou 
canst  break  through  the  rigid  decrees  of  fate,  thou 


662  VIRGIL. 

shalt  be  Marcellus.  Scatter  lilies  in  handfuls;  let 
me  scatter  the  dark-hued  flowers  on  his  tomb, 
heap  up  these  gifts  at  least  to  the  shade  of  my  de- 
scendant and  discharge  an  unavailing  duty. 

SLEEP. 

There  are  two  gates  to  the  palace  of  sleep:  the 
one  said  to  be  formed  of  horn,  gives  an  easy  exit 
to  true  visions:  the  other,  brightly  shining,  is 
skilfully  wrought  with  white  ivory,  but  through 
this  the  Manes  send  false  dreams  to  the  world 
above. 

So  Homer  (Odyss.  xix  560):— 

"  Stranger,  dreams  are  certainly  of  difficult  and  uncertain 
interpretation,  nor  do  men  find  them  always  accomplished. 
For  there  are  two  gates,  through  which  issue  dreams  of 
doubtful  import.  The  one  is  formed  of  horn,  and  the  other 
of  ivory:  those  of  them  that  come  through  smooth  ivory  de- 
ceive with  empty  hopes,  bearing  promises  never  to  be  accom- 
plished; others  again  that  issue  out  from  polished  horn,  pre- 
dict what  is  true,  whenever  any  mortal  shall  see  them." 
Shakespeare  ("  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  act  i.  sc.  4)  says: — 

"I  talk  of  dreams; 

Which  are  the  children  of  an  idle  brain, 
Begot  of  nothing  but  vain  fantasy; 
Which  is  as  thin  of  substance  as  the  air; 
And  more  inconstant  than  the  wind,  who  woes 
Even  now  the  frozen  bosom  of  the  north, 
And,  being  anger'd,  puffs  away  from  thence, 
Turning  his  face  to  the  dew-dropping  south." 

DETERMINATION. 

If  I  am  unable  to  bend  the  gods  above,  I  shall 
try  to  move  the  gods  below. 

CAMILLA. 

With  these  comes  Camilla  of  the  Volscian  nation, 
leading  a  squadron  of  cavalry  and  bands  armed  in 
resplendent  brass,  a  heroine;  with  hands  unused 


YUHilL.  G63 

to  the  spindle  and  housewife's  basket,  but,  though 
a  virgin,  inured  to  the  hardship?  of  war  and  to 
outstrip  the  wind  in  speed. 

Pope  ("  Essay  on  Criticism,"  pt.  ii.  1.  365)  says:— 
"  Not  so,  when  swift  Camilla  scours  the  plain, 

Flies  o'er  the  unbending  corn,  and  skims  along  the  main." 

REFLECTIONS   OF   THE   SUN'S  BAYS. 

As  when  the  trembling  light  of  the  water  in 
brazen  cauldrons,  reflected  by  the  sun's  rays  or  by 
the  bright  moon,  penetrates  all  the  space  around, 
is  raised  aloft  and  strikes  the  fretted  ceilings  of 
the  lofty  palace. 

This  seems  to  be  an  imitation  of  Apollonius  Rhodius  (iii. 
755):- 

"  As  the  ray  of  the  sun  is  reflected  in  some  palace,  issuing 
from  water  freshly  poured  from  a  cauldron  or  else  some 
milk-pail—darting;  here  and  there  it  is  moved  rapidly  with 
swift  whirling." 

LIGHTNING. 

These  had  in  hand  an  unfinished  thunderbolt, 
part  being  already  polished  off,  of  the  kind  which 
father  Jupiter  hurls  in  numbers  on  the  earth  from 
every  region  of  the  sky;  part  remained  unfinished. 
They  had  just  added  three  shafts  of  hail,  three  of 
the  rain-cloud,  three  of  gleaming  fire,  and  three 
of  the  storm-winged  southern  blast.  They  were 
now  intermingling  with  the  work  terror-inspiring 
gleamings  and  uproar  and  fear  and  the  wrath  of 
heaven  with  its  vengeful  flames. 
Shakespeare  ("  King  Lear,"  act  iv.  sc.  7)  says: — 

"  To  stand  against  the  deep  dread-bolted  thunder, 
In  the  most  terrible  and  nimble  stroke 
Of  quick,  cross  lightnings." 

A  FATIIEK'S  PEAYEK  FOB  HIS  SON. 
Ye  gods,  and  thou  Jupiter,  mightiest,  of  the  gods, 


664  VIRGIL. 

I  pray  thee  Lave  pity  on  the  Arcadian  king,  and 
listen  to  a  father's  prayers ;  if  your  divine  pleasure, 
if  the  fates  reserve  my  Pallas  for  me,  if  1  am 
again  to  behold  and  meet  him,  I  beg  for  life,  let 
me  sustain  the  worst  of  pain.  But  if  thou,  O 
Fortune,  threatenest  some  sad  bereavement,  now, 
oh  now,  let  me  break  off  the  tie  that  binds  me  to 
an  unhappy  existence,  while  my  cares  still  hang  in 
suspense,  while  the  hope  of  the  future  is  uncer- 
tain, while  I  strain  thee  to  my  bosom,  my  dear 
boy,  the  only  solace  of  my  declining  years,  lest  too 
painful  news  should  wound  my  ears. 

A   HORSE   GALLOPING. 

A  shont  arises,  and  in  united  band  the  hoof 
shakes  the  dusty  plain  with  the  sound  of  the 
courser's  tramp. 

This  line  is  supposed  to  imitate  the  sound  of  cavalry  in  quick 
motion. 


What  none  of  the  gods  dared  to  promise  to  thy 
prayers,  lo  time,  as  it  rolls  on,  has  bestowed  of  its 
own  accord. 

Pindar  (Fr.  Inc?rt.  50)  says:— 

"  Time  that  rules  all,  superior  even  to  the  gods.'' 

MAN   MAKES   A   GOD   OF   HIS   DESIRE. 

Xisus  says:  Euryalus.  do  the  gods  inspire  thee 
with  this  warmth  ?  Or  is  that,  which  one  ear- 
nestly desires,  to  be  regarded  as  a  divine  inspira- 
tion? 

FILIAL,   PIETY. 

To  him  Euryalus  replied:  No  day  of  my  life 
shall,  I  trust,  prove  me  unworthy  of  an  attempt  so 


VIRGIL.  665 

bold  as  this;  this  I  am  able  to  promise,  let  fortune 
fall  out  favorable  or  unfavorable.  But  above  all  I 
entreat  this  of  thee:  Of  Priam's  royal  race  my 
mother  came,  whom,  when  I  departed,  neither 
Troy  nor  the  walls  of  King  Acestes  could  detain. 
Her,  now  ignorant  of  this  danger  whatever  it  is, 
and  without  taking  farewell,  I  leave.  Let  the 
darkness  of  the  night  and  thy  right  hand  be  wit- 
ness that  I  am  unable  to  endure  the  tears  of  my 
mother.  But  I  entreat  thee,  comfort  her  in  want, 
and  assist  her,  whom  I  leave  behind  me.  Allow 
me  to  entertain  this  hope  of  thee;  I  shall  go  with 
more  confidence  to  meet  every  danger.  The  Tro- 
jans, deeply  affected,  wept,  above  all  the  fair 
lulus,  and  this  image  of  parental  affection  moved 
his  bosom  powerfully. 

FRIENDSHIP. 

Me,  me  (here  am  I,  who  did  it.)  turn  your  weap- 
ons against  me. 

DEATII   OF   A   YOUNG   MAX. 

As  some  hright-hued  flower,  cut  over  hy  the 
plough,  languishes  in  death,  or  poppies  hang 
their  heads  with  wearied  neck  when  they  are 
overcharged  with  rain. 

POWER    OF   POETRY. 

Happy  both,  if  my  poetry  can  avail  anything,  no 
time,  however  long,  shall  ever  blot  you  out  of 
remembrance,  as  long  as  the  line  of  ^Eneas  shall 
dwell  beside  the  Capitol,  and  Augustus,  the 
father  of  his  people,  shall  hold  the  reins  of  em- 
pire. 

COWARDS. 

O  Phrygian  women  truly,  for  ye  are  not  Phryg- 
ian men. 


666  VIRGIL. 

BY   VIRTUE   WE   GO   TO   HEAVEN. 

Go  on  and  grow  in  valor,  O  boy!  this  is  the  path 
to  immortality. 

FORTUNE. 
Such  hopes  I  had  indeed  while  heaven  was  kind. 

THE   ALL-SUBDUING   POWER   OF   GOD. 

As  Jupiter  spoke,  the  lofty  palace  of  the  gods 
was  hushed  in  silence,  and  the  earth  trembled  to 
its  foundations;  the  high  heaven  gives  forth  no 
sound;  the  Zephyrs  are  lulled;  the  sea  moves  not. 

So  Homer  (H.  i.  528):— 

"  The  son  of  Saturn  spoke  and  nodded  with  his  dark  eye- 
brows.   Then  the  ambrosial  hair  streamed  down  from  the 
head  of  the  immortal  king:  and  he  shook  the  mighty  Olym- 
pus." 
And  Milton  ("Paradise  Lost,"  iii.)  says: — 

"  Thus  while  God  spake,  ambrosial  fragrance  flll'd 
All  heaven,  and  in  the  blessed  spirits  elect 
Sense  of  new  joy  ineffable  diffused." 

THE   FATES   WILL   FIND   THEIR  WAY. 

The  deeds  of  each  will  bring  suffering  or  success. 
Jupiter  looks  with  the  same  eye  on  all.  The  fates 
will  find  their  way. 


As  a  gem  sparkles  enchased  in  gold,  the  orna- 
ment of  neck  or  head;  or  like  ivory  enclosed  with 
artistic  skill  in  boxwood,  or  the  turpentine  wood 
of  Oricus;  his  flowing  locks  hang  down  upon  his 
ivory  neck,  while  around  his  brow  he  wears  a 
baud  of  thin,  ductile  gold. 

FORTUNE    FAVORS  TIIE   BOLD. 

Fortune  befriends  the  bold. 


VIEGIL.  667 

SHOKTNESS  OF  LIFE  LENGTHENED  BY  VIRTUE. 

Every  one  lias  his  allotted  time  upon  earth ;  a 
brief  and  irretrievable  space  is  given  to  all;  but  it 
is  virtue's  work  alone  to  stretch  the  narrow  space 
by  noble  deeds. 

Bailey  ("  Festus  "): — 

"  We  live  in  deeds,  not  years;  in  thoughts,  not  breaths-, 
In  feelings,  not  in  figures  on  a  dial. 
We  should  count  time  by  heart-throbs.    He  most  lives 
Who  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best." 

MAN  IGNORANT   OF  FUTURITY. 

The  mind  of  men  is  ignorant  of  fate  anil  future 
lot,  and  how  to  practise  moderation  elated  by 
prosperity. 

HE   DIES   AND   THINKS   OF   HIS   COUNTRY. 

Unhappy  he  falls  by  a  wound  intended  for 
another,  looking  up  to  heaven,  and  dying,  thinks 
of  his  native  Argos. 

SHORTNESS   OF   LIFE. 

O  Ehcebus,  we  have  lived  too  long,  if  there  be 
anything  long  with  mortals. 

A   FLOWEK     PLUCKED. 

Like  the  flowrer  of  a  soft  violet  or  languishing 
hyacinth,  plucked  by  virgin  hands,  that  has  not 
yet  lost  its  brilliant  hue  nor  beauty,  nor  does  its 
parent  earth  any  longer  afford  it  nurture  and  give 
it  strength. 

EXPERIENCE. 

Believe  me,  who  knows  by  experience,  with 
what  might  he  rises  to  his  shield,  and  with  what 
force  he  hurls  his  spear. 


0(W  VllKilL. 

A     DEMAGOGUE. 

Rich,  bold  in  language,  but  with  a  right  hand 
slow  in  battle,  in  counsels  deemed  no  trivial 
adviser,  powerful  in  faction. 

FORTUNE     SHIFTS   THE   SCENE. 

Why  does  fear  seize  us  before  the  trumpet 
sounds?  Time  and  the  changes  naturally  con- 
nected with  it  have  changed  many  things  for  the 
better:  Fortune,  from  time  to  time  visiting  many, 
has  at  one  moment  mocked  them,  and  again  placed 
them  on  a  firm  basis. 

MEDICINE   PROVOKED   THE   PAIN. 

And  grows  more  distempered  by  the  very  at- 
tempt that  is  made  to  heal. 
"  The  remedy  is  worse  than  the  disease." 
A  VIRGIN. 

As  when  one  has  stained  the  Indian  ivory  with 
the  blood-red  purple;  or  when  the  white  lilies 
look  red,  mingled  with  many  a  rose:  such  was  the 
color  which  the  virgin's  face  exhibited. 

CHANGE   OF   FORTUNE. 

Perhaps  a  better  fate  will  attend  the  wretched. 

A    ROYAL    SCEPTRE. 

As  this  sceptre  (for  his  right  hand  happened  to 
bear  a  sceptre)  will  never  henceforth  give  forth 
shady  branches  with  rustling  leaves,  since  the 
time  when  cut  down  in  t3>e  forest  by  its  lowest 
root  it  was  separated  from  the  mother-tree,  and 
stripped  of  its  foliage  and  twigs  by  the  axe; 
once  a  tree,  now  the  skill  of  the  artificer  hns  sur- 
rounded it  with  ornamental  brass,  and  given  it  to 
be  borne  bv  the  Latin  fathers. 


VllUHL.  669 

EDUCATION. 

f.oy.  icar.i  from  me  the  lesson  of  duty  and  pa- 
.-''«' jiire    iinder  afflictions,  the  pursuit  of  fortune 
irom  others. 

WHIRLWIND. 

As  when  a  storm  bursting  forth  rushes  over  the 
riea  to  land,  the  wretched  husbandman,  alas!  pre- 
scient of  danger  from  alar,  shudders:  it  will  up- 
root the  trees  and  lay  low  the  corn,  destroying  all 
things  far  and  wide:  the  winds  fly  before,  carry- 
ing the  sound  to  the  shores. 

SWALLOWS. 

As  when  the  black  swallow  flics  through  the 
great  courts  of  a  rich  lord,  traversing  the  loity 
halls,  gathering  scanty  food  and  nutriment  for  its 
chirping  young,  and  now  it  twitters  through  the 
empty  porticoes,  now  around  the  marshy  pools. 

A   HERO. 

Shall  this  land  see  Turnus  flying  from  his  foe  ? 
Is  it  such  a  wretched  thing  to  die?  Ye  gods  of 
the  lower  world  be  propitious;  since  the  gods 
above  are  unwilling  to  save  me,  I  shall  go  clown  to 
you,  a  pure  spirit  and  unsullied  with  the  shame  of 
flight,  never  unworthy  of  my  mighty  sires. 

A   BULL   FIGHT. 

As  in  the  lofty  mountains  of  Sila  or  Taburmis, 
when  two  bulls  rush  with  hostile  fronts  to  battle, 
the  frightened  herdsmen  fly.  the  whole  herd  stand 
mute  with  fear,  the  cows  faintly  low,  doubting 
who  shall  command  the  pasture  ground,  which  of 
them  the  herds  shall  follow;  they  inflict  wounds 
on  each  other  with  great  force,  and,  struggling, 


670  VIRGIL. 

fix  their  horns  in  each  other,  bathing  their  necks 
and  shoulders  in  streams  of  blood;  the  whole  for- 
est re-echoes  with  their  bellowing. 

THE    BALANCE   OF   HEAVEN. 

Jove  himself  hangs   up  two  scales  equally  bal- 
anced, and  places  in  them  the  fates  of  the  two,  to  I 
see  which  is  to  succeed  and  which  is  to  meet 
death. 
Milton  ("  Paradise  Lost,"  iv.  995)  imitates  this:— 

"  Had  not  soon 

Th'  Eternal,  to  prevent  such  horrid  fray, 
Hung  forth  in  heav'n  His  golden  scales." 

HEAVEN-TEXIPEKED    SWORD. 

After  it  reached  the  arms  formed  by  the  god 
Vulcan,  the  mortal  sword,  like  brittle  ice,  shiv- 
ered at  the  stroke,  and  its  fragments  glitter  in  the 
yellow  sand. 
Milton  C"  Paradise  Lost,"  vi.  830)  says:— 

"  But  the  sword  • 

Of  Michael,  from  the  armory  of  God, 
Was  given  him  temper 'd  so,  that  neither  keen 
Nor  solid  might  resist  that  edge :  it  met 
The  sworcl  of  Satan  with  steep  force  to  smite 
Descending,  and  in  half -cut  sheer." 


SUPPLEMENT. 


THE  following  passages  are  of  a  later  date ;  but, 
as  they  have  become  "  household  words,"  they 
deserve  to  be  connected  with  the  "  Great 
Thoughts"  of  classic  authors.  I  have  given  their 
origin  so  far  as  they  have  as  yet  been  able  to  be 
traced;  others  I  have  added  without  being  able  to 
fix  the  source  from  which  they  are  derived.  I 
have  to  express  my  obligations  to  correspondents 
in  that  valuable  publication,  "  Notes  and  Que- 
ries," for  tracing  the  origin  of  many  of  them. 

TIMES   ARE   CHANGED. 

All  things  are  changed,  we  too  are  changed  with 
them;  the  one  has  certain  changes,  the  other  has 
its  own. 

In  the  "Deliciae  Poetarum  Germanorum,"  1.  685,  we  have 
the  poems  of  Matthias  Borbonius,  and  there  we  find  the 
words  in  the  mouth  of  Lotharius  I.,  who  flourished  about 
A.D.  830. 

In  Pope  ("  Moral  Essays,"  ep.  i.  1.  172)  we  have  the  same 
idea:— 

"  Manners  with  fortunes,  humors  turn  with  climes, 
Tenets  with  books,  and  principles  with  times." 

TKUTH. 

Truth  is  great  and  will  prevail. 

This  is  found  in  the  Apocrypha  (1  Esdras  iv.  41) : — 
"  And  he  ceased  to  speak,  and  all  the  people  cried  out  and 
said,  '  Truth  is  great  and  will  prevail.'  " 


672  SUPPLEMENT. 

THE   MAN  OF   ONE   BOOK. 

"  The  man  of  one  book." 

This  expression  is  said  to  belong  originally  to  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas. 

TO  DO  A  DEED  BY  THE  HAND  OF  ANOTHER. 

He  who  docs  a  deed  by  the  hand  of  another  is 
the  same  as  if  he  did  it  himself. 

This  is  one  of  the  maxims  of  Boniface  VIII.  (Sexti  Decret.  • 
lib.  v.  tit.  13,  de  Reg.  Jur.  c.  72),  derived  according  to  the  glos- 
sary from  the  maxim  of  Paulus  (.Digest,  lib.  i.  tit.  17,  de  Div. 
Reg.  Jur.  i.  180). 

LOVE   OF  TRUTH. 

Plato  is  my  friend,  Socrates  is  my  friend,  but 
truth  is  a  friend  that  I  value  above  both. 

A   TIIIKD   (iEXERATION. 

A  third  heir  seldom  enjoys  property  dishonestly 
got. 

These  words  are  found,  with  a  slight  variation,  in  Bellochii 
Praxis  Moralis  Theologian,  de  casibus  reservatis,  etc. 

A   WISE   QUESTION. 

A  wise  questioning  is  the  half-way  towards 
knowledge. 

This  is  found  in  Bacon,  "  De  Augmentis  Scientiarum,"  lib. 
v.  cap.  116. 

PLEASING   RECOLLECTION. 

Alas!  how  much  less  delightful  it  is  to  live  with 
those  that  survive,  than  it  is  to  cherish  a  recollec- 
tion of  you. 

This  is  Shenstone's  epitaph  on  Miss  Dolmen  at  the  Leasowes. 
Moore  (il  I  saw  Thy  Form  ")  imitates  this  idea:— 
"To  live  with  thorn  is  far  less  sweet 
Than  to  remember  tln-c." 


D      lo*^^          o-r 

•^T 
- 

SUPPLEMENT.  673 

"-'—*-' 

UNITY,   LIBERTY,  CHARITY.-ST.  AUGUSTINE. 

Unity  in  things  necessary,  liberty  in  what  is 
doubtful,  charity  in  all  things. 

THUS   PASSES   AWAY  THE   GLORY  OF   THIS   WORLD. 

O  Holy  Father,  thus  passes  away  the  glory  of 
the  world. 

The  master  of  the  ceremonies  at  the  Pope's  inauguration 
hears  two  dried  reeds,  whereof  the  one  hath  on  the  top  a 
candle  to  kindle  th  other,  crying  aloud  unto  the  Pope, 

THE   SCOTCH. 

The  fiery  genius  of  the  Scotch. 

This  occurs  in  the  Jesuita  Vapulans  of  Andreas  Rivetus,  a 
Calvinistic  minister  and  professor  of  theology  at  Leyden  in 
the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  phrase  is  found 
in  the  folio  wing  passage:—"  These  books  I  will  in  some  things 
no  otherwise  commend  than  Andreas  Rivetus,  professor  of 
Leyden,  did  the  doctrine  of  Buchanan  and  Knox:  whose 
rashness  he  ascribed  prsefervido  Scotorum  ingenio  et  ad 
audendum  prompto."  Sir  T.  Urquhart's  Tracts.  Edin.  1764, 
p.  131. 

LOOK   TO   THE   END. 

Look  to  the  end  is  in  the  last  line  but  one  of 
the  fable  "  De  Accipitre  et  Columbis,"  in  "  Anouy- 
mi  Fabulae^Esopicae,"  Fabuloe  Variorum  Auctorum, 
p.  503.  Fraiicof.  1500. 

OUR   PREDECESSORS    IN   LEARNING. 

May  those  perish  who  have  anticipated  us  in 
our  knowledge. 

This  phrase  was  used  by  ^Elius  Donatus,  the  commentator 
on  Terence  and  Virgil. 

A   LITTLE   KNOWLEDGE. 

Small  draughts  of  knowledge  lead  to  atheism, 
but  larger  bring  man  back  to  God. 
This  is  a  saying  of  Bacon. 
43 


674  SUPPLEMENT. 

. 

THE  DEAD. 

Of  the  dead  nothing  should  be  said  except  what 
'  is  good. 

This  is  a  saying  of  Solon  in  Plutarch. 

THE  VOICE   OF   THE   PEOPLE. 

The  voice  of  the  people  is  the  voice  of  God. 

This  is  No.  97  among  the  Aphorismi  Politic!  ex  Ph.  Cominseo 
per  Lambertura  Daneeum  collect!,  Lugd.  Bat.  1609. 

THE    PEOPLE. 

The  people  wish  to  be  deceived,  let  it  be  de- 
ceived. 

It  was  Paul  IV.'s  legate,  Cardinal  Carafa.  that  spoke  thus 
of  the  devout  Parisians:— 

"  Quandoquidem  populus  decipi  vult,  decipiatur.  V 

See  Matthias  Prideaux's  "  Easy  and  Compendious  Introduc- 
tion for  Reading  all  Texts  of  Histories, ' '  6th  ed.  Oxford,  1 682. 

SCYLLA   AXD  CHARYBDIS. 

You  fall  into  Scylla,  desiring  to  avoid  Charyb- 
dis. 

This  line  is  from  the  "  Alexandreis  ''  of  Philippe  Gaultier. 
The  following  are  the  lines: — 

"  Darius,  having  found  a  horse,  flies  away  from  the  field 
bedewed  with  the  blood  of  his  men.  Whither,  O  king  doomed 
to  die.  dost  thou  fly  in  so  cowardly  a  way  ?  Alas',  lost  man, 
thou  knowest  not  whom  thou  fliest;  thou  runnest  into  the 
midst  of  enemies,  whilst  thou  fliest  the  enemy,  thou  tallest 
into  Scylla,  while  thou  avoidest  Chary bdis." 

RIDICULE. 
He  chastises  mannei-s  by  ridicule. 

This  was  improvised  by  Santeuil  for  the  Harlequin  Domi- 
nique. 


SUPPLEMENT.  675 

CERTAINTY. 

It  is  certain  because  it  is  impossible. 
This  is  from  the  fifth  chapter  of  Tertullian,  De  Game  Christi. 

MAN. 

Man  is  a  god  or  a  brute. 
This  is  from  Aristotle,  Polit.  lib.  i.  c.  2. 

A   HARBOR   OF   SAFETY. 

I  have  found  a  harbor;  hope  and  fortune,  fare- 
well; you  have  made  sufficient  sport  of  me,  sport 
with  others  now. 

This  is  a  version  of  a  Greek  epigram  in  the  Anthologia;— 

TO  FORTUNE. 

"  Hope  and  fortune,  a  long  farewell:  I  have  found  a  harbor: 
you  and  I  have  no  further  dealings:  make  sport  of  those  with 
me." 

DECEIT. 

Deceit  is  safe  to  no  one  in  any  lurking  place. 

THE  UNLEARNED  AND  LEARNED. 

The  unlearned  may  here  learn,  and  the  learned 
may  reflect  on  what  they  knew  before. 

This  is  a  verse  of  Renault,  made  by  him  for  the  motto  of 
his  "  Abrege  Chronologique  de  1'Histoire  de  France." 

It  is  a  translation  of  two  lines  of  Pope's  (1.  740,  741)  "  Essay 
on  Criticism:"— 

"  Content,  if  hence  the  unlearn'd  their  wants  may  view, 
The  learn'd  reflect  on  what  before  they  knew." 

BOOKS  HAVE  THEIR  FATE. 

Little  books  have  their  fates  according  to  the 
taste  of  the  reader. 

This  line  is  found  in  a  didactic  poem  of  Terentianus  Mau- 
rus. 


— /o     h^' 

r  v 

070  SUPPLEMENT. 

A  WICKED   ACT. 

A  thing  forbidden  becomes  little  thought  of 
when  it  is  allowed. 
This  is  found  in  the  elegies  (iii.  v.  77)  of  C.  Cornelius  Gallus. 

TO  KEJOICE  IN  CRIME. 

Wretched  are  those  who  take  pleasure  in  their 
crimes. 

This  is  found  in  Pseudo-Gallus  (i.  180)  in  the  collection  of 
six  elegies  published  under  the  name  of  C.  Cornelius  Gallus, 
by  Poihponius  Gauricus.  Venice,  1501,  4to. 

DIFFERENT  THINGS  DELIGHT  DIFFERENT   PEOPLE. 

Different  things  are  required  to  give  pleasure  to 
different  tastes;  all  things  do  not  suit  all  ages. 

TO   BE   IN  THE  UTMOST  MISERY. 

He  who  lies  on  the  ground  cannot  fall. 

This  phrase  is  found  in  the  Liber  Parabolarurn  (Opera 
Moralia,  1654,  p.  434)  of  Alanus  de  Insulis. 

Butler  C"  Hudibras,"  Part  I.  cant.  iii.  1.  877)  has  adopted  this 
idea:— 

"  I  am  not  now  in  fortune's  power: 
He  that  is  down  can  fall  no  lower." 

THE  CONCLUSIVE   ARGUMENT  OF  KINGS. 

The  conclusive  argument  of  kings. 
Louis  XIV.  caused  these  words  to  be  inscribed  on  his  can- 


JUPITER. 

Whom  God  wishes  to  destroy  He  first  deprives 
of  his  senses. 

In  a  note  on  a  fragment  of  Euripides  there  is  the  following 
proverb:— 

"  When  God  is  contriving  misfortunes  for  man.  He  first  de 
prives  him  of  his  reason." 


8  UPPL  EMEN  T.  677 


Words  and  nothing  more. 

This  saying  is  found  in  Plutarch's  Laconic  Apothegms 
("  Plutarchi  Opera  Mortalia,"  ed.  Dan.  Wyttenbach,  vol.  i.  p. 
649).  Philemon  Holland  has  turned  it  into  English  thus:— 

"  Another  Laconian  having  plucked  all  the  feathers  off  from 
a  nightingale,  and  seeing  what  a  little  body  it  had  '  Surely,' 
quoth  he,  '  thou  art  all  voice,  and  nothing  else.'  " 

TO  STAND  ON  THE  OLD  WAYS. 

To  stand  on  the  old  ways. 

This  is  a  sentence  of  Jeremiah  vi.  16,  which  is  often  quoted 
by  Lord  Bacon  in  his  "  Essay  on  Innovations."  It  is  found  in 
the  Vulgate,  and  is  thus  rendered  in  our  English  version:— 

"Ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the  good  way,  and  walk 
therein." 

QUESTION  SOLVED. 

The  question  is  solved  by  walking. 
This  is  Aldrich's  first  answer  to  the  ancient  sophism  of 
Achilles  and  the  tortoise. 

LEISURE. 

Leisure  along  with  dignity. 

This  is  found  in  Cicero,  in  Or.  P.  Sextio,  45. 


PASSAGES  FROM  UNKNOWN  AUTHORS. 

GEXTLE   AND   RESOLUTE. 

Gentle  in  manner,  resolute  in  deed. 
This  is  the  motto  of  Earl  Newburgh. 

MISERY. 

Respect  is  clue  to  the  sufferings  of  the  wretched : 


6^8     .        •  SUPPLEMENT. 

do  not  add  to  my  miserable  fate:    sacrilegious 
hands  have  always  spared  the  tomb. 
La  Fontaine  has  imitated  this  idea  with  consummate  skill :  — 
"  On  devient  innocent  quand  on  est  malheureux." 

TO  KNOW  WHERE  YOU  CAN  FIND  A  THING. 

To  know  where  you  can  find  a  thing  is  in  reality 
the  best  part  of  learning. 

WORDS   AND  LETTERS. 

The  word  that  is  heard  passes  away,  the  letter 
that  is  written  remains. 

TO  BE  HIS  OWN  MASTER. 

Let  no  man  be  the  servant  of  another  who  can 
be  his  own  master. 

TO  LIVE  WELL. 

He  has  lived  long  enough,  who  has  lived  well 
for  the  period  of  a  short  life;  the  slothful  count 
by  time,  the  good  by  deeds  deserving  praise. 

JUSTICE. 

Let  justice  be  done,  though  heaven  fall. 

This  expression  is  first  found  at  pp.  &  and  838  of  William 
Watson's  "  Decacordon  of  Ten  Quodlibeticall  Questions,"  etc. 
(1602);  and  flat  enim  justitia,  etc.,  at  p.  196  of  the  same  work. 
The  presence  of  enim  seems  to  point  to  a  context  which 
awaits  discovery. 

LAW. 

To  observe  law,  that  is  to  reign. 

PEN,   WAX,   AND  PARCHMENT. 

Pen,  wax,  and  parchment  govern  the  world. 
The  line  is  quoted  in  Howell's  "  Letters  "  (book  ii.  let.  2). 


SUPPLEMENT.  679 

ABOVE   GRAMMATICAL  RULES. 

I  am  king  of  the  Romans  and  above  grammar. 

This  was  a  saying  of  the  Emperor  Sigismund,  who,  at  the 
Council  of  Constance,  thus  addressed  the  Council;  "Right 
Reverend  Fathers,— See  that  this  infamous  schism  (refanda 
schisma)  be  rooted  out,"  intent  on  having  the  Bohemian 
schism  ended — which  he  reckons  to  be  of  the  feminine  gen- 
der. To  which  a  cardinal  mildly  replying,  "  sohisma  is  neu- 
ter, your  majesty."  Sigismund  loftily  replied,  "I  am  king 
of  the  Romans  and  above  grammar." 


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